Murder on the Cheep Cheep Blimp
by PSULucky
Summary: Mario and co head out into the marveled Cheep Cheep Blimp for a relaxing vacation to Poshley Heights. But when murder strikes, they find themselves in the center of all the trouble, where the only way to get out requires one thing: find the murderer.
1. Prelude

PSULucky here, in what plans to be my greatest fan fiction yet.

If you've read my other fan fictions, you'd know that I usually like to write shorter (1000-1250 word) chapters. After experimenting with 5000-6000 word chapters, I realized they were annoyingly long to write and post in just 2 or 3 days. So I've gone back to the shorter length, in hopes that I can continue to write and post **one chapter every day**. That way, I can keep you guys interested without having to take a long break in between chapters.

Also note, **this fan fiction may contain minor spoilers to Paper Mario or Paper Mario TTYD**. I can imagine you've played those games by now, but if you haven't that's a warning (basically just a few locations and characters, but maybe the occasional revealing of Paper Mario plots, etc.). So anyway, I hope you enjoy the fan fiction, and I really hope to make it like something you've never seen before...or even _thought about _before...

**Disclaimer**: Nintendo owns characters, locations, etc..

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Murder on the Cheep Cheep Blimp_**

**Prelude**

_Dear Mario,_

_I have been informed by your good friends, Goombario, Bow, Sushi, and Lakilester, that they would be glad if you would accompany them on their trip to Poshley Heights. They are taking the Cheep Cheep Blimp in Rougeport, on Saturday, at 9 AM. Feel free to bring any other friends along with you. And as a matter of fact, you can expect to see my face on the blimp, too!_

_Your friend,_

_Pennington_


	2. Preparing

Chapter 1 coming right up. Remember, with this chapter a day schedule, that means Chapter 2 will come tomorrow. Also, don't expect any chapters on Christmas, and probably not on the 24th, either (and it'll depend on the 26th...), so I might post 3-4 chapters on the 23rd in order to keep you guys caught up.

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**Chapter 1-Preparing**

It was a dark and gloomy Thursday night. Mario was sitting alone in his kitchen, eying up the unfolded letter that lie before him. The Cheep Cheep Blimp...his old friends...Pennington...such thoughts could only make him reminisce the times when his life was thrilling with adventure. And now...Peach hadn't even been kidnapped in the past month. Although Peach's life being in danger was surely never a good thing, Mario thought it a pity that he couldn't get any action...especially when the action is your girlfriend getting kidnapped by Bowser, typically.

And yet it also provided for some relaxing times, where he could actually sit back and just have some not-so-painful adventures. Or he could go on vacation...or just have some kind of fun. And with this letter presented to him, he'd definitely be able to experience some action-less and restful times. Or so he thought...

"Hey Luigi?" Mario called up the stairs, awaiting his brother's response.

"Yeah?" He heard him call back. Somehow, Luigi sounded so far away...like he was down the street...or being sucked into some distant black hole. But really, though, Mario's life wasn't _that_ strange...

"Could you come here a minute?" Somehow Luigi appeared next to him at some speed of light. Whether Luigi suddenly realized how to teleport somewhere, or he'd been practicing his running, Mario didn't know. But the point was, was that Luigi didn't make him wait...which he usually did.

Luigi stuttered, "W-what do you need?"

Mario took another look down at the letter that was lying on the table. Although he had earlier discussed its contents to his brother, he'd like to reiterate the conversation, and start a new one. And once Luigi realized this, he took a willing seat at the table.

"If you remember," Mario started, "The blimp leaves on Saturday..." His eyes met with his brother's for a split second, before he turned his head away quickly, "And I'd like to know if you've made your decision yet...do you want to come?"

Luigi sat back in the chair and stretched. Mario now had his eyes plastered on his brother's every last movements, which, although he didn't want to mention, was starting to creep him out. Really though, the look on Mario's face expressed earnest interest in the situation, as though Luigi had to make his decision right there, right now.

Suddenly, after tilting his chair back like that of a kindergardener, Luigi sat upright and answered, "Of course I want to go," The tone of his voice let Mario to believe that his brother was implying that he was a complete idiot for not realizing the truth...like Mario was supposed to know that. _Especially_ when it came to the strange and erratic Luigi.

"Alright then," Mario nodded in satisfaction, "That'll be good. I'm sure all of my friends wouldn't mind becoming a bit more acquainted with you, anyway...

Luigi nodded, "True...do you think you should call Peach?"

"About the trip?" Mario asked. Luigi nodded, and the red-capped plumber replied, "Maybe I should...I'd like to give her some time in advance to think about whether or not she wants to go..."

So Mario took a painful step up from the chair and groaned slightly. All of his muscles felt annoyingly and unusually tight, and all he wanted was an all-day body massage. Perhaps it was for the best that Peach wasn't getting kidnapped, after all...

Luigi listened as Mario dialed Peach's number like some psycho guy on steroids. But having called her number so often (at least once a day), Mario must have definitely been acquainted with calling her number...

Two miles away, in a castle large enough to fit the entire kingdom's population, Princess Peach heard the sound of a ringing phone. Without wanted to force he servants into any more unnecessary work (like picking up the phone), Peach decided to answer it herself, "Hello?"

"Ah, Peach! It's feels so good to hear your voice!" Mario spoke of her as though she had been some long-lost relative that he spoke with once a year. But no...it was more like his girlfriend, whom he spoke with once every ten minutes...

On the other line, Mario could hear Peach giggle some words of modesty about herself. Once her little giggle-fit was over, though, she added, "But what is it? Do you need anything?"

Mario couldn't admit that didn't, "Actually, I do. It's about Saturday morning...well, err..." He paused for a moment. All Peach could do was stare blankly at the wall, trying to figure out the context of Mario's mumbled words, "Okay, well, I got a letter this morning from Pennington, who invited me for a trip on the Cheep Cheep Blimp to go to Poshley Heights...and, I was wondering if you wanted to go?"

Silence...at least for a few moments. But then Peach answered into the phone, "I'd love to go...I'm not sure about how my servants will feel about this, but they'll live. I'm sure they don't need me watching over them 24/7, anyways..."

Mario agreed in his mind, yet he said nothing. All he could do was smile a pleased kind of smile that could only mean one thing...that he won a million dollars, or that he just ate a good bowl of pasta. And in this situation, somehow...it was neither...

"Oh, yes, Mario," Peach suddenly said into the phone, "I was wondering if you could...meet me at my castle tomorrow for lunch?"

The red-capped plumber couldn't have more happily replied in the affirmative, "You know I wouldn't miss out on something like that," He joked, his tone of voice making him sound as though he had just won the lottery.

"Well, good," Peach nodded and smiled, even though it was apparent that Mario could see neither of those reactions. She then continued, "Oh..." She stammered, "I have to go...I'll see you tomorrow, Mario. If you could, would you be at my castle by eleven?"

"I'll do that...do you mind if I bring alone my brother?"

"Not at all..."

"Alright then," Mario said excitedly, "I'll see you tomorrow," And after a few murmurs of departure, the two hung up and retired to whatever business they were left to. For Peach, she was going to go have some ever-so-important tea, that she clearly had to hang up on Mario to have. But it didn't matter, because the red-capped plumber was delighted to go lounge on his comfy arm chair, and not have to worry about Peach's endless conversations.

And with Friday coming up in only a few hours, both Mario and Luigi could only wonder what was going to be in store for them during the next few days. Would this 'vacation' really pose to be as stressless as it originally seemed? Or would this opportunity only provide for yet another action-packed adventure for the Mario bros? They sure hoped not...


	3. Before Lunch

Chapter 2 here, on schedule. Oh, and just a little heads-up, I've packed a good bit of foreshadowing and hidden clues in the chapters before the murder, so always keep a look-out (even if the crime hasn't been committed yet).

And also, I'd just like to say that I'm probably not even going to post Chapter 3. All that happens is Mario and Luigi go to Peach's castle for lunch, and they talk about the trip. That's it. I'll acknowledge the lunch in Chapter 4 (which will now be chapter 3), and maybe write a few paragraphs about it, but I'd really rather take the boring chapter out (which, trust me, you're not missing anything).

So anyway, with that said, enjoy reading chapter 2. :P

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**Chapter 2-Before Lunch**

And so Friday morning came upon the Mario bros much faster than they expected...to their disappointment. They could feel a long couple days ahead of them, and the last thing they needed was an early rise...especially if they were up late. But it was quick before they felt fully recovered from the day's opening, and within no time at all, they were bouncing off the walls as if they had just eaten a bowl of sugar.

Luigi had excused himself from the breakfast table to put a call in with Daisy. It was then he deemed it necessary to see if she'd be available to accompany them on the trip. Although he rendered it to be pretty useless to call her (assuming it was by far, too late to tell her about the vacation), he'd still do so, anyway.

While Luigi did that, Mario decided to go for a nice, leisurely, walk around the kingdom. Currently, at nine in the morning, the birds were chirping and the sun was shining dominantly. And as Mario patrolled around the streets, he couldn't help but to be acknowledged deeply for his notoriety. At least, he figured, some over-excited Toads weren't stalking him around town like the paparazzi...or, at least...he _hoped_ not...

Turning the corner onto 'Shroom Drive, he could only wonder what wild events would occur next in his life. Indeed, he was referring to the ever-so-anticipated trip. But, after several hard moments of thinking, he decided to agree with himself that it would be for the best to assume entire pleasure and joy in the near future.

Unfortunately, Mario had 'the feeling'. It was the very feeling you got when you just _knew_ something to be true...and, in this case, he just_ knew_ something out of the ordinary was going to happen. If only he could know _what_...

Upon turning down another block, Mario pushed whatever uneasy feelings he had for the trip aside, and just decided to enjoy the rest of his walk. He saw many friends, many fans, and many wannabes, all of whom congratulated Mario on being part of society.

On the other hand, it was starting to get old. Really, how many times can you hear yourself get bragged upon by every other being in the Mushroom Kingdom? Sure, it may sound great, but sometimes, you really find yourself wishing you were just an everyday person...or lived in some deserted beach house by the ocean where no one could bother you.

Back at the house, Luigi was just putting a call in with his girlfriend, the princess of Sarasaland, Daisy. After being put through to her, he said, "Hey, Daisy,"

The princess was somewhat startled to hear his voice. Somehow, she just didn't expect a call from Luigi at that very time...especially considering he usually had better things to do than call her...what a pity..., "L-luigi?"

The tone in her voice made her sound nervous and afraid. As she normally did not stutter in her sentences, it began to make Luigi wonder if something was truly wrong with her. Yet, all in all, it was simply because she was surprised and caught off-guard...no big deal..., "I have a question to ask you,"

He decided to cut to the chase and delay no longer, which Daisy respected. Being a princess meant for no wasted time, especially in the morning, when the day was fresh. Somehow this got Luigi to think that her powerful position in her kingdom would tamper with the outcome of his question, into the negative.

Luigi continued, "Tomorrow morning, Peach, my brother and I are heading back to Rougeport for a little reunion with some of Mario's friends. I'd just like to invite you to see if you'd like to come..." Hoping she'd reply with a cheery and excited 'yes', Luigi held his breathe in anxiety for her answer.

"Hmm..." She started, "For how long, would you say?"

Now it was _Luigi's_ turn to get caught off-guard, "Uh-h...I'm not so sure. The invitation Mario received didn't say...but I'd assume for about two weeks, perhaps? A three day trip there, and then three more to get back...and about a week at Poshley Heights..."

Silence for a few moments, and then Daisy answered, sighing heavily before she spoke, "Well...two weeks...I'm not so sure...actually, I'm pretty sure I _can't_ go...but, I'll tell you what: I'll try and get down there for a few days after you've arrived, alright?"

When at first Luigi fell into disheartenment, he now felt more pleased and satisfied with her answer. Yet it was not certain she'd still be able to go, just the possibility turned Luigi's frown very much upside down, "That's good...so how's everything down at the castle?"

"Ugh...I'd rather not say. The town is in an uproar over the kingdom's major bank getting robbed. But we're pretty sure we caught the right suspect, so there's really nothing to worry about...and besides, it was an easy case for the police, or so they claimed..."

Luigi smiled at the success of her kingdom, and, more importantly, Daisy's success at being a monarch. Even if the 'putting behind the bars' of the criminal wasn't her doing, she was the one that gave the police the authority to solve the case, "If only _all_ mysteries were that easy..." And, indeed, Luigi was correct. If only...if only...

"Yeah..." Daisy said, "Do you want me to call you back later?"

Luigi shrugged, "Sure,"

After saying their love-bird good-byes, they both proceeded to hang up. Luigi sat, momentarily, on the couch, thinking over their conversation. He felt a little disappointed, but he realized Daisy was needed at her castle much more than she was needed at Poshley Heights...

Suddenly, the door opened, and Mario walked in. Done with his walk, and fifty compliments later, the red-capped plumber appeared at the door and took an exhausted seat in his arm chair. Luigi began to wonder whether or not to question if Mario had been practicing his running, judging by the fatigue of his movements.

"Daisy said she might be able to come...but...she's not sure yet," Luigi mumbled, glancing around the room and settling his focus on his brother.

Mario nodded, but didn't speak. Instead, he remained silent, the look on his face showing that he must have been engulfed in deep thought. And although it was none of his business, Luigi couldn't help but to wonder what the mind of the great Super Mario was pondering.

* * *

"Lots of foreshadowing and hidden clues"? Even in chapter two? **Even in chapter two**.

Stay tuned, chapter 3 comes tomorrow.


	4. The Arrival

I would have liked to have gotten the chapter posted sooner, but with last-minute tests for school, I was a little busy today (also waiting for my much-anticipated winter break. :P).

Anyway, enjoy (and remember, always be on the lookout).

**

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Chapter 3-The Arrival**

Lunch at Peach's was as boring and uneventful as ever. With nothing else to talk about other than idle chit chat, the meal dragged on, only to be complimented by the sound of Luigi's clanging silverware as he tried to build a miniature house out of his fork, spoon, and knife, just to satisfy the boredom.

Other than that, Peach mentioned a few times about how she genuinely detested Lady Bow (on account of her 'snobbishness' and 'continual whining', as Peach put it), but also how excited she was to be flying in a high-class blimp.

And once they were finished changing, eating, and packing, they set out for the boat harbor, in hopes to arrive by seven-thirty. That way, they'd be able to dock in Rougeport no later than ten, and easily be able to situate themselves with a room at the inn...

* * *

"And there it is...Rougeport," Luigi said, pointing out the boat window upon the nearing city. Through the darkness of the night, the city looked like a shadowy, unwelcoming silhouette. It represented the very darkness that had once overwhelmed the town when the Shadow Queen had been revived. It was the kind of darkness that was meant for no laughing matter.

The three of them peered out the small windows, intently staring at the vast block of black that seemed to cover their view from any surrounding ocean. Rougeport was just...there...and so clearly, too, that even through it's profile, it looked so obviously visible...

"It looks so different at night," Mario observed, recalling how he had never quite seen the town from such a distance at such late hours. The time? 10:04 PM. They were running a little late, due to the princess's forty-five minutes of 'freshening up'. Oh, what a pain she was...

"Hmm..." Peach said, which was hardly saying anything. It was more of a groan of approval, if anything, "So I wonder if it's still the same...you know, all the criminals and low-lifes that hang around there...?"

"I'm sure..." Mario admitted, much to his disappointment, "I can doubt it's gotten better, but we can sure hope it has..." He let out a reassured sigh of relief, as though it indeed _had_ gotten better. It was sure good to think so...

Luigi remained silent for several moments. His eyes were all about, not entirely focusing on anything in particular. He was, more or less, skimming the wide panorama that was displayed before him. But his unbreakable trance was, indeed, broken, by the sound of the boatman's voice.

"Docking at Rougeport in five minutes!"

Upon arrival at the dock, Mario, Luigi, and Peach all took a step off the boat, breathing in some fresh air. Fresh air...whether Rougeport _had_ anything like such was actually a mystery, but they'd like to think that they weren't inhaling the gross toxins that lived within the city.

Peach yawned an over-exaggerated yawn, "I'm tired..." She looked at the two brothers. And much to her disappointment, neither of them contagiously yawned; she hoped this wasn't a sign that they still were filled with energy, "We really should go to the inn..."

As much as Mario would have liked to explore the town much more thoroughly, he sighed and nodded, "Alright, Peach..." The three then proceeded up the stairs, leading into the central part of Rougeport. And among them all, they all noticed one thing: _it was all the same_. Everything. Every speck of dust, every mark of graffiti (yet, of course, there was more of it, now), and every piece of trash that covered the streets still remained. It all just seemed to bring back some unpleasant memories.

"Heh, look at that..." Luigi muttered, pointing to some graffiti among one of the walls. Peach and Mario could only return his witty remark with a glare.

"You're such a child, Luigi!" Peach exclaimed, yet slightly laughing at the same time. Mario simply burst into laughter at the sound of her sudden outbreak. It seemed as though he was having some strange giggle-fit that was derived from the very sound of human existence.

"What?!" Luigi retorted, "Don't you think they should wash _that_ off?"

Peach just rolled her eyes and laughed, "I wonder which idiot decided to write that..." She sighed, as they closed in upon the door to the inn. But for a dramatic moment, they all just stood there, staring at each other. The looks on their faces read 'which one of you is going to open the dreaded door?'. Yet, the reason the door could be considered dreaded was yet to be known...

"Or," Peach said suddenly, "Should we get the tickets now? Just to be safe...?" She watched as the two brothers exchanged one of their classic glances.

"I suppose..." Mario nodded, as they turned away from the door. Now it was time for them to head into west Rougeport. As they suspected, it remained unchanged, the only difference being that it looked even more grimy and grotesque that it had before. Didn't this city have any sense of cleanliness?

Luigi spoke up again, "Frankie and Francesca, isn't it?"

For a moment, Mario couldn't figure out, in the slightest, what his brother was speaking of. But as his mind became more adjusted to the past, he began to reminisce upon the times in which he was acquainted with the piantas.

Frankie and Francesca had recently married, being heads of the Pianta Syndicate of Rougeport. Being much more like that Francesca's father, Don Pianta, they received much more respect, even from the Robbo Gang of east Rougeport. Sure they weren't best buds, but the Don sure could be overly annoying at times...

Entering the item shop at the end of Rougeport, they encountered the shop owner, a female Boo, "Hello!" She called to the three, "How can I help you today?" She had such a welcoming smile on her face for having worked that entire day. Apparently she was just one happy person...err, ghost...

Mario pointed at her, "Peeka, isn't it?"

The Boo brightened up even more. Upon hearing her name being recognized, she, too, recognized the notorious man that stood before her. Why, it was the great Super Mario! The hero of the Mushroom Kingdom...the savior of the world! And my, he had the princess there with him, too! The widely-renown princess of the Mushroom Kingdom! And he even brought along _some guy with a green cap_! Oh, how wonderful!

"It's Mario!" She called, stating the obvious. Over-excited, she relaxed some of her enthusiasm with calming deep breathes. Once she found herself returning back to normal old Peeka, she added, "I-I can't believe it's actually you! After all these years!"

Mario simply laughed and gestured for her not to brag upon him like so. For once, he actually felt good getting congratulated...perhaps, for the fact that the girl that did the congratulating nearly got a heart attack..., "Aw...Peeka, I'm so glad you remember me,"

Luigi wasn't sure whether this was just some 'I haven't seen you for five years reunion, or if it was some strange love-moment going on. But either way, all he could do was sit back and grimace as his brother typically stole the limelight from the rest of humanity.

"How could I forget? You saved the entire world! The entire world! You really are amazing!" She laughed. And from behind Peach, Luigi could only find himself mocking Peeka's words with annoyance, "So what do you need? How can I help? Do you want some items? Aw, take some for free! Take one, ten, a hundred! Well, maybe not a hundred...but, still, take what you need!"

Mario laughed, "Well, actually. It turns out that I need a ticket for the Cheep Cheep Blimp. Could you just unlock that door up to the Pianta Syndicate?"

Peeka stuttered, disappointed, "Aw, well, actually...no one's in there now. Frankie and Francesca went home really early. They said they needed to relax a while. Sorry, but you'll have to come back in the morning..." Peeka seemed so disappointed that she couldn't be of any help that she would have owed her life to Mario if she could. To bad she was already dead...

"Oh," Mario mumbled, "That's okay. We'll see you early tomorrow, then..."

"Aw, okay!" Her face brightened up again. She looked so happy that her expression represented that of a lottery winner's. And with a wave of good-bye, she turned toward the counter, sad to see Mario leave...


	5. Ghost Stories

Hope you enjoy chapter 4... :P

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Chapter 4-Ghost Stories**

"To the inn?" Peach suggested, once outside. Yet the answer was pretty obvious, she felt like asking the question, nonetheless...perhaps to break the eerie silence of the deserted city. City? Could such a ghost town be considered such a place? As far as Mario could remember, Rougeport never seemed this lonely at night. Really, though...it sure was creepy.

"Heh, yeah..." Luigi answered, glancing around awkwardly. Due to some heavy fog, Rougeport looked more like a giant fog machine than anything. Again, this could only send a shiver up Luigi's spine. But, alas, they finally saw one other living person within the western part of town.

As they passed into central Rougeport, they all took a short stroll up to the inn door. Minus the continual waiting and waiting at the doorstep, they all exchanged glances, and then turned the doorknob.

Stepping inside sounded more like a screeching child than a gentle walk. Due to the intense ancientness of the floorboards, they creaked and moaned as though they actually had the feeling of being stepped on.

"Hellooooo!" Yelled a polite Toadette, who approached them at rapid speeds from behind the counter. By her reaction of the coming humanity, Mario decided that it was unlikely for guests to arrive at such a place...at least at night.

And, indeed, it looked as though Mario was correct. Every table was empty. All of the barstools were abandoned. A mouse running across the floor was pretty much all the excitement you could get. This made the three of them begin to question what on Earth happened to Rougeport's population. When it once seemed to be a prospe - err, very occupied place - it now looked as though the society had dwindled down to just a few civilians. Either everyone decided to flee the city, or a bad case of Shroomitis had everyone home, sick in bed.

"We'd like to stay at the inn," Mario explained. He then proceeded to glance around the room again, "Not many people here, hmmm?"

"Eh, well..." The Toadette said, "It's a bit strange, I know...usually Friday's are crowded. And even Podley, the bartender, has decided to turn in for the night. I've been feeling so lonely here, I forgot that other people existed...until you came!" She pointed at Mario, as though worshipping him for his greatness. Luigi could only turn in distaste as she continued to speak. He figured it would only be a matter of time before she was bowing in Mario's presence and declaring herself his trusty servant.

Mario nodded and smiled, "Too bad..." He said the words as though he actually cared, which Luigi suspected he didn't. Or, perhaps, Mario was actually just being nice? Somehow, the green-capped plumber doubted that. One who bathed in the glory of their own fame could never be nice.

Peach giggled quietly. She did that whenever Mario received some type of respect...especially when the person respecting him was practically submitting to his awesomeness. This, only, could anger Luigi even more. Sure he wasn't infuriated, but when your own sense of common good is ignored for your brother's, it gets a little irritating...

"Let me take you to the bedroom..." The Toadette proceeded to gesture for them to follow her, which they did so, willingly. Around the tables...up the stairs. And, typically, the stairs sounded as though they were about to cave in at any moment, with each gentle step the four of them took. Even the Toadette began to question whether or not the age-old steps could actually hold up somebody...

On the second floor, they witnessed the existence of beds, lined up against the wall. Not exactly luxurious...but it was either that, or sleeping out on the streets. And it was pretty well decided that they'd side for the bed. But still...the whole building was probably a cockroach farm...oh geez, how gross...

"And here it is..." Toadette said, as though referring to something that was actually spectacular. Instead, she was pointing to dirty sheets balled up on top of some metal and uncomfortable-looking torture device, also known as: the bed.

"Ah..." Mario said, not entirely sure whether he was impressed, or just so amazed at the horridness of the gruesome panorama before him, that he couldn't help but to treat it as though it were something more. He glanced over at Luigi, who looked more clueless than attentive, and then at Peach, who's expression indicated that she feared the bed was going to eat her alive. Sadly...Mario didn't doubt that...

Peach stuttered in amazement, "I-it's not very...p-princess-like..."

The Toadette just stared at her, "Princess? You're...? Wait a second...you're princess Peach! Yes! The pink dress! The blonde hair! _The crown on top of your head_! Wow, it's a splitting image of you! Well, actually, it is you!" She made some weird gesture of appreciation that Peach didn't recognize. A grateful bow would have been nice enough...

"Yeah..." Peach said, unsure, exactly, of what to say. So, to solve her problems, she simply substituted in the over-used word of 'yeah', which, as Peach would say, seemed hardly princess-like, "Umm...t-thank you..." Assuming that Toadette's little dance corresponded to some form of gratitude, Peach figured a thanking was appropriate.

"Oooh, oooh, oooh..." The Toadette said. She sounded like some bad actress who tried to portray a ghost in some cheesy horror film, "Then that's bad news for you!" Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the three of them. But without comment, and without even a peep of noise, the three simply returned the look she gave to them. Not because they were weird, like her, but because they were so afraid that her head was going to start spinning and she was going to transform into a monster that they could only return with a horrified stare.

"Er-...uh...hrrrmmm..." Luigi mumbled, still staring. He, well, _all_ of them, for that matter, looked as though they had been placed into some crazy hypnotic trance. And with the simple assumption that this lady was going crazy, they all couldn't help but keep their eyes peeled for the horrors of this woman.

"Heh heh..." She laughed, a little embarrassed. Judging by the expressions on their faces, she could only figure that they deemed her a freak of nature. Really, though, she just had a knack for being a bit odd at times...especially when it came to her words choices, "Uhh, sorry. It's just that...well...haven't you guys ever heard the Tale of the Inn?"

The Tale of the Inn? Perhaps referring to the swarm of drunkards that normally congregated down in the bar? Or, maybe, the story of the woman that was eaten by the rotting bed? Oh, the possibilities were endless...

"Tale...?" Mario asked, "Tale of the Inn?"

"Indeed..." Toadette said, nodding, "It's an age-old story that has, on more than one occasion, been proven true. And, well...with princess Peach here...oh, well..." She was at a loss of words. This definitely represented one of the more finer 'crickets chirping in the background' instances. If this woman was trying to scare them, then she'd better read up that the core theme of horror usually revolved around actually being scary.

"Excuse me?"

"Err...let me explain..." She gestured for them to all take a seat at a nearby table, which they did so without objection. As long as they weren't sitting on the beds, they'd be fine, "Now, where do I begin..." She glanced at the three of them for a moment before continuing, "This inn...well, this inn has been around ever since the existence of Rougeport. Yes, that is a long time...a very long time...and it has been said and reported that when any female of high standards, such as a princess, a queen, a countess, or something of the matter, ever chose to sleep at the inn, strange things happen..."

The three glanced around at each other. By the sound of Toadette's superstitious voice, they began to realize just how creepy she was making this story actually feel. And, perhaps, if the lights were dimmed, the atmosphere would be even more ghost-like.

Toadette continued with her tale, "On the night, or nights, of which this woman of high standards decides to stay at the inn, she turns...evil. Yes, indeed...evil. Dark energy consumes her body, and her very soul grows ever tainted. But just for one night. In the morning, she assumes her normal form and continues with her life, unknown of the havoc she had truly caused the night before..."

Luigi rose his eyebrows, backing away from the princess, "Peach, please...I'm not even married yet. If you're going to go all kung fu, do it on by brother, alright?"

Peach just laughed...

Yet Toadette treated it as anything but a laughing matter. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she shook her head in amazed disappointment. Did these people truly not realize the direness of such a situation? Hadn't they understood the dark power that would consume Peach? Were they...crazy?

"Ah..." Mario laughed..., "I think I've had enough ghost stories for tonight..." He winked at Toadette, "I'm ready for bed..."

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Hmmm...interesting. Every good story has a "crazy" person in it...right...?


	6. Are You Superstitious?

Ugh...sorry I couldn't update faster...but with the holidays and all, I didn't really get much time to go on the computer. But, by _no _means is this fan fiction coming to an end. Stay tuned...and don't forget to review!

P.S. I'm posting two chapters today, because tomorrow I doubt I'll be able to get on the computer.

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**Chapter 5-Are You Superstitious?**

Within fifteen minutes, the three were prepared for whatever sleep they'd get. And with Mario's crazy friends over the horizon, they could only assume late night parties and an unfortunate lacking of sleep. Nah, maybe not...

"Good night," Peach murmured, and, in their own ways, Mario and Luigi returned the generous phrase. The lights were now off, and it was dark...and a little cold. But that only made for an even greater desire to snuggle under the blankets even more.

The beds were, well...not exactly fantastic. They provided little comfort, but, more or less, an aching back and a lust for sleep. Sure they weren't as bad as they originally assumed, but Peach was much more used to yards of elegant fabric that cocooned itself around your body with just the right amount of warmth and squishiness.

Mario rolled around in his bed. The blackness enveloped the room in its dark embrace, and the sound of strange murmuring outside echoed its way through the near-silent night. Such an atmosphere made Mario feel...a little uncomfortable.

He turned his head to look at the digital clock. But no...no boxy, red numbers were within the room. No clock was present...but, he could have sworn there was a clock in there earlier. It was like it vanished...vanished right into the thickness of the night.

"Ma..." A voice. Someone, somewhere, said something. Mario couldn't quite tell who spoke that uncomprehendingly mysterious word, but he was sure it was a female...one that was unusually nearby, "ario...M...io..."

Mario jumped, "Wha?!" He sprung up from his sleeping position, now tensely sitting upright. He squinted his eyes, as though that was actually going to help. But to his dismay, the thick darkness of the room pierced through whatever sight might have been achieved, "Who...who's there?!"

"Why, Mario..." A gentle sounding voice said, "It's me, of course...Peach..." And without delay, a sudden bodily build emerged from the shadows. The dark silhouette depicted Peach perfectly. Her hair...her crown...even the shape of her frame matched up with that of the princess. But one thing...and one thing only...seemed off. It was her voice...the gentleness in her voice...it almost seemed forced. Forced as though possessed by some dark and gruesome power...the very voice that would hypnotize a person until they were drooling blobs of useless society. Oh, geez...

"Peach..." Mario said, staring at the perfect shadow. He turned his head to the left. Yes, a bed was there...but Peach was not. Indeed, she must have been standing before him...but why? And what was the deal with her menacingly calm voice? This was Peach...the woman that could ramble on about how she preferred the red dress over the blue dress. It just...didn't match up...

Peach approached him. But with the bizarre silentness of each of her steps, she appeared by his side. As though an assassin, who could appear at the bedpost of your very self, she was, without any delay or misstep, there.

Indeed, she was but human. But what evilness possessed her? That of a lonely spirit? Or perhaps a ghost...or...a _demon_? Yes, most certainly...and with her appearance, came a dense haze of black fog. Mario coughed as the toxic air entered him body, seemingly consuming and shutting down his organs, his feelings...everything.

And with this, approached Peach even closer. Leaning over him, she opened her mouth to that of a gigantic proportion. More haze seeped out, now both in fog, and in liquid form. As it poured out, the only thing Mario could remember was the reddish glow of Peach's eyes, laughing at him as he slowly drifted off to his death...

"NOOO!" Mario yelled, springing up from his bed. Expecting to be somewhere other than the inn, he glanced awkwardly around. He was alive...and Peach was sleeping soundly in the bed next to him. He could see, feel, and even taste the superiority of simply being alive. Really, it never felt so good...

But what about Peach? What about the silhouette? Or the toxic ooze that so creepily seeped out of her mouth. Was it all just...an illusion? Was Mario's superstitious side really getting the better of him?

_2:28 AM_ read the clock on the side table. Yes, even the reddish glow assumed existence. But...how? Even the clock made Mario begin the question what on Earth was going on...if, you could even consider this to be on Earth...

Breathing quickly and nervously, he quietly stood up from the bed. Typically, the floorboards squeaked in annoying pain, luckily unbeknownst to Peach. It could only make Mario what she'd do if he accidentally woke her up at two thirty in the morning...

Quietly, he strolled through the room, in an almost desperate search for the stairs. Feeling along the walls, in hopes that he wouldn't stupidly trip and fall all the way down the steps, he eventually found where the ground didn't quite match up. With a cautious step, he descended down into the bar below, where he could see a dimly lit light illuminating the room. And sitting on one of the uncomfortable chairs, Mario spotted yet another silhouette. He could only hope this one wouldn't infatuate him with deadly black toxic, accompanied by the too-good-to-be-true voice.

"Is that you, Mario?" The voice asked. This time, the tone was normal, and its owner was obvious: Toadette.

"Heh heh, Toadette..." He quickened his pace down the remaining stairs. As he approached the sitting shadow, he could now easily make out her distinct features. And taking a seat next to her, he could feel all of the worry and nervousness slowly escape his body.

"Is something the matter?" She asked, "You seem...tense..."

"Oh, no..." He lied, "Its just that...I think I'm a bit more superstitious than I thought I was..." They both laughed. But still, Mario's laugh wasn't quite up to par. It seemed almost fake, but still produced to fit the theme of the conversation, "Bad dream, you know?"

"Oh, yes...I suppose I do..." She muttered.

"Really, though...it's all just so strange..." He didn't even look at her, but more at the ground. He didn't even care if he was actually talking to anyone...as long as his feelings got out, he would be happy. To whatever extent, that is..., "I mean, I didn't think I'd get so superstitious about that kind of stuff, you know? I mean, do I look like that kind of guy?"

"The kind of guy to get superstitious?" She asked, "Well, I couldn't really tell..." She simply shrugged. Mario was a bit disappointed in her answer, even though any type of definite response couldn't really change his mood.

"Hmmm..."

Toadette suggested something, "You should take a walk. That's what _I_ always do when I have a bad dream. Or when I'm over-thinking something. Really, though, head out and get a bit of fresh air. I bet it couldn't hurt..."

Mario sighed, "At two-thirty in the morning? In Rougeport? Isn't that almost begging for some kind of crime?" He smiled, yet he gave her a semi-serious look. He just felt so...out of it. Nothing he said seemed to match the attitude of how he felt. And he hated shielding one's personality for some fake facade that led one to believe something that wasn't true.

"Aw, but you're Mario! It doesn't matter who's out there on the streets! You can take 'em out without even lifting a finger!" She sounded so encouraging, that Mario almost wanted to thank her. She was definitely the kind of person you'd need to talk to when you were feeling down...or after you'd just been encountered by an evil, toxic-spitting demon...

"Then I think I will," Mario declared, almost triumphantly. And, whether or not he actually wanted to, he disappeared out the door, and into unescapable darkness that protruded mysteriously through the night...

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Dun...dun...dun...

A little fantasy fun I like to put in all Mario fan fictions (even if they ARE a dream) :P.


	7. The Darkness Unfolds

Yay for fast updates! And remember, reviewing is your friend. :P

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Chapter 6-The Darkness Unfolds**

Escaping into the night, Mario took a refreshing breathe once outside of the inn. Everything now, despite their dark and impending shadows, looked so harmless, and not frightening in the least. Well, perhaps after viewing your girlfriend spit galloons of dark energy at you, you might not feel very unnerved by the simple blackness around you.

Still, the night provided for that of a prefect ghost story. The fog...the dark...and the not-so-useful streetlights that pitifully illuminated whatever sad part of town they could. It was certainly eerie, and the more Mario thought about it, the more worried he felt...

_Aw, but you're Mario! It doesn't matter who's out there on the streets! You can take 'em without even lifting a finger!_ Although Mario deemed that very true, there was one possible instance in which he feared for the worst. And that was the despicable and childlike thought that Demon Peach actually existed. Sure, it was obvious she didn't...but he wanted to think it true.

_Bzzz...bzzrrpp!_ A filthy and useless streetlight suddenly blew out over Mario's head. He rolled his eyes as the world around him became slightly darker. Just for this very reason, he started to sweat, increase his breathing rate, and look all around him in fear that he was being followed. Strangely, he didn't even realize he was doing it...

"What's a guy like you doing out on the streets in Rougeport at this time of night?" Some repulsive and coarse voice spoke, much to Mario's dismay. It was the kind of voice that could suit that of the Grinch, yet with an added aged touch to it. Overall, it was simply unwelcoming...

"I-I beg your pardon?" Mario couldn't quite see who he was speaking to. Perhaps he looked like an idiot addressing the air in such a manner, but when blankets of fog blocked out your view, it provided to be difficult when it came to navigating your eyes to particular places. This could only make Mario wonder how this guy could've known of his existence...again, this seemed to revert back to some dream-like sequence that Mario now ever-so despised.

Stepping into the light that didn't even seem to be there, approached an old and tired looking bandit. Mario gave him a look of nervous uncertainty that could only display his desperate attentiveness to the situation.

Mario decided to ask, "Who are you?" But the bandit didn't reply. Instead, he just shook his head and sighed. Turning away from the plumber, he began to disappear into the night, leaving Mario clearly confused and utterly surprised. What was the significance of that? Even the great Super Mario didn't know...

But nonetheless, the bandit posed no seemingly important existence, so, without turning back, Mario continued his walk over into the western part of town. It reminded him earlier of their prior experience when they failingly took a visit to the pianta syndicate.

What on Earth were Frankie and Francesca doing now? Sleeping, most probably...but still, it could just make him wonder. Like what they were dreaming about...and how exactly Frankie planned to cope with the fact that Francesca would soon turn into a ghostly demon. Just thinking of such gave him the inevitable shivers.

_Flash!_

A sudden flash of light exploded within the surrounding area. Mario opened and closed his eyes several times, hoping that doing so would somehow clear his vision and make the cause of the flash visible. But doing this just made him feel wheezy and dizzy, and in only moments, the entire environment looked like a wavy mirage.

_Flash!_

The sky...now not only dark with the blackness of night, but now smothered by doom-like patches of purple swirls. With the two colors mixed in such a mesmerizing way, a head-ache began to spread through Mario's head, as he grew dizzier yet.

But no, the havoc did not stop there. To Mario's unbeknownst dismay, it was only beginning. Surrounding him, in quantities of excessive display, stood the ever-so familiar silhouette of Peach's demon-like frame. Seeing such, the plumber could only crumple to the ground in utter despair.

"Mario..." That voice...but no, it was not gentle, now. It wasn't forced. It was that of a gruesome and vicious beast, hoarse, with a slight crackling sound that could double the fierceness of violent thunder.

"Peach!" The red-capped plumber yelled, "Peach, stop!" His voice begged for some seemingly impossible mercy. Yet, with hopes he could break Peach out of her spell, he continued to chant endlessly, in many wails of despair and pain.

He could feel the darkness enveloping him, and no matter how much he tried to escape, such evil force kept him stopped in his tracks. He felt so unwillingly glued to the Earth, unmovable and forced to face the power of Demon Peach. Closing his eyes, he could only wish this were just some kind of a dream...

...

...

"...Mario...?" That voice. Princess Peach. Yet, something seemed...again, odd. No, her voice wasn't frighteningly calm and gentle. And no, she sounded nothing like that of a demon. Instead...completely normal. And at the sound of this reassuring voice, Mario slowly and cautiously opened his eyes...

Lying on that rock hard bed, he was at the inn! Just where he had been before he dozed off that night before! He never felt so good to be awake...or so he thought, considering it was quite oblivious to his knowledge what exactly was false, and what was reality.

So what his conversation with Toadette simply a dream? Did he never really wake up at all? One big, painful, and most certainly frightening reverie? If that was the extent of it all, then Mario was more than over-joyed. Not recalling any past nightmares, at least within a recent span of time, he felt a bit shaken up. Yet, as oddly as it sounds, he was delighted to have that nightmare, to cancel the possibility that what he recently took part of could not be reality. Ah, good old nightmares...

"Mario?" Peach asked. Somehow he ever-so wanted to use the classic 'that's my name, don't wear it out' line. That series of five letters...he had heard way to much over the past dream. Who ever thought your name could be a curse? "Are you okay? You seemed so...worried while you were sleeping?"

Typically Mario hadn't been paying any attention to the actuality of his brother, who situated himself in one of the chairs by the table. The look on his faced represented nervousness and anxiety. It was almost reassuring to know your brother cared about you that much. But, really though, it was just a nightmare. No big deal. Mario wasn't in the kindergarden anymore.

So as the series of staring continued, as though this were some staring contest, Mario managed to mumble, "Yeah, I'm fine, Peach. It's just...a bad dream, I think," He pretended to be shaking off something from his body, yet only he knew this was just some strange act. He was known for exaggerating the extent of something's horridness...yet, this was certainly that kind of situation.

And yet, he feared describing his dream to the princess...and his brother. He figured Peach would get overworked and absolutely annoying with nervous questions, and that his brother would simply just be too scared to take in all of the emotional stress of Mario's dream. What a pity, Luigi...

Next, Mario took it upon himself to perform the classic 'pinch me, I'm dreaming' test, to ensure this wasn't yet another sick dream. The last thing he needed was to get fooled by his strange mind yet again. But still, he feared more bright flashes, more purple swirls, and more evil Peach's. And, perhaps, even his brother, too, might morph into some dangerous being that might actually have some strength and courage...nah...


	8. Getting the Tickets

Enjoy chapter 7. :P

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Chapter 7-Getting the Tickets**

Whether Peach planned to turn evil again anytime soon, Mario ignored, for the dire fact that they were in desperate need of tickets. Being 9:30 in the morning, they'd like to leave themselves some well-earned time for leisure and stressless moments.

Descending from the stairs, they, lo and behold, spotted the Toadette wiping up one of the counters with a filthy rag that could only dirty the table even more. Ah, Rougeport was such a sad, sad place...

"Why, rise and shine!" She said joyously, as though they had just woken up two minutes ago. Somehow she hadn't heard them conversing continuously upstairs for the past thirty minutes. And if their voices escaped her, she _had_ to have heard the painful moans of the dilapidated floorboards...

"Well, well..." Mario said, eying her up as she cleaned. By the look on his face, one might suggest he was interested in a lady such as she. This could only make Peach raise her eyebrows in surprise as he gave Toadette a welcoming smile. It was the kind of smile that one would use when dreamily watching someone from afar. Or the kind of smile that represented the desire for a warm embrace, "You're just always here, aren'tcha?"

It was a bit awkward talking to her in assumption that she was actually talking with him at two thirty in the morning. Strangely, he found it difficult to get it out of his mind that the entire thing was simply a dream...an illusion..., "Ah, well..." She laughed, "I like to get here bright and early, you know?"

Mario didn't really know, because his job of a plumber wasn't very demanding...especially when you made your living off the fortunes of a princess. He mumbled some more words to her, also including some phrases of disappointed departure in the unfortunately near future.

The three began to push their way past table and chairs to find the door. In such a small space, the tables they had in the bar seemed so crammed that it was nearly impossible to get some comfortable leg room.

But Toadette grabbed Mario's arm before he could go, unknown to the other two. Pulling him closer as though preparing him for a long and romantic kiss, she stepped toward his ear and whispered, "And yes, Mario...I _do_ think you're superstitious..." And with a final wink, she waved him away with the sheer power of her commanding sentence. And as for the plumber, he wanted no more of this crazy voodoo witchcraft stuff. It was time he enjoyed a relaxing vacation...

The trio made their way through the busiest part of town. They could see thieves in every alley, merchants lined up and down the streets as though this were some prison line-up, and the entire town just seemed to be blanketed with an air of activity. This could only please Mario, as it made him feel much safer with the protection of dozens of other civilians. Most importantly, he wasn't alone...

Upon entering the item shop they had so seemingly recently entered, Peeka greeted them with yet another glorious and delighted ovation. By the look on her face, one might assume that she were to explode out of the sheer excitement boiling within her, "I _knew_ you guys would be back,"

She wasn't really a thinker, but then again, her infatuation with Mario must've been getting to her. He simply responded with a few, kind words, and then dismissed himself past her. Again, she was disappointed to see him go, but the last thing she wanted to do was make him miss the blimp.

The trio passed into the door of the pianta syndicate. As they suspected, Frankie, Francesca, and two other piantas stood wait inside the syndicate. Once again, Mario couldn't go without being cherished as though he were some ancient and long-lost artifact.

Francesca immediately rushed over to him and provided him with a friendly embrace. It surprised him so much that he could help but to just stand there in awe, as she slowly drained the oxygen from him. Being a...pretty large woman...Francesca wasn't exactly the kind of person you'd want squeezing you.

Escaping her death grip, Mario convalesced by actually breathing. When he recovered from the little episode, he laughed, even though he really didn't think it was funny. More or less, he didn't want to offend her by getting her to think that he didn't enjoy her hug.

"So what brings you here, Mario?" Frankie asked, excited to be in contact with the hero of the world, "Do you need something? Anything? Whatever you want..."

"Actually," The plumber began, "We're kind of in need for some Cheep Cheep Blimp tickets..."

"Oh, is that all?" Frankie asked, as though those hundreds of dollars meant nothing to him. But the last thing Mario wanted to do was to complain. If Frankie was willing to give him three expensive tickets for free, Mario just so planned to let him do that.

Frankie reached into the desk, "Three tickets, I assume?" Judging by the fact that there were only three civilians standing in front of him, he used his intense math skills to come up with such a solution. And when Mario nodded, Frankie provided him with three, large, grand, very expensive, tickets. The plumber gladly took them, hoping there wouldn't be a bill at the end of all this, "There you go..."

"Thanks a lot, Frankie," Peach butted in, snatching her ticket and looking at it. Was she really holding a Cheep Cheep Blimp ticket? Could it possibly be true? Ever since the blimp was remodeled with luxury that could match that of the Excess Express, the popularity charts were skyrocketing, as were the prices. And for Peach, despite the fact that she was a wealthy princess, it seemed so incredible to receive such a costly piece of paper for free. She almost wanted to hold it up to the light to make sure this wasn't some big old scam.

"We wish we could stay longer," Mario admitted, which was true, as long as Francesca didn't hug him anymore, "But we really need to get going. We'll be back in Rougeport in about two weeks, though. We'll stop by, again,"

"Yeah, alright, Mr. Hero," Frankie nodded, waving him a friendly good-bye. Mario would have liked to stay longer...a whole lot longer...but the blimp would be leaving soon, and they were already behind schedule. And he knew what that would mean...Peach wouldn't be happy.

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Still on the lookout for hidden clues? Good...

Review, please. :)


	9. A Reunion With Old Friends

Yes! The final chapter before the blimp ride begins! And that's when everything gets fun... :P

Oh, thanks for reviewing, krisetchers. And I'd like to mention that, I too, have a fondness towards all of the quirky and slightly crazy characters as well. So there'll be a lot of them. :)

Anyways, here we go with the new chapter...

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Chapter 9-A Reunion With Old Friends**

The next couple minutes could equal that of the end of a Christmas shopping sale. Outside by the blimp station, people were rushing around, lugging suitcase after suitcase, a very stressed look on all their faces. And the conversation was unbearable. Everywhere you turned, people were chanting words of eager anxiety. Nothing was comprehendible, and it just left you with a painful headache. And getting pushed around to and fro didn't help, either. You'd have to be careful not to get trampled by the sea of angry humanity.

Mario wasn't really sure where he was leading his brother and his girlfriend. Perhaps a spot where you didn't feel excessively claustrophobic? Or a spot where you didn't want to rip everyone's face off. Or a spot where some annoying lady wasn't screaming in your ear. Mario would have preferred the dungeons of Bowser's castle over the agony he was fighting through now.

But one scrambled and nearly drowned out voice managed to pierce through even the loudest and craziest of situations. And that was, to Peach's dismay, the loud and annoying voice of Bow. It was the kind of voice you'd hate to hear while you had a head-ache. And if you didn't have a head-ache already, you would by the time you were done talking with her.

The sound of her protruding voice, yet distinct and undoubtedly noticeable, seemed a good ten or fifteen feet away. And, through the thickness of the mob, she could not be visually spotted, leaving them with only the help of her voice to guide them in her direction. Not that it was hard, since she was sitting - to whatever extent - on a nearby bench, along with Goombario, Sushie, and Lakilester. At first, they couldn't quite grasp the fact that Mario was ever-so nearby, but at the turn of her head, Bow spotted them immediately, chanting their names wildly.

"It's Mario!" Sushie called, springing up from the bench and maneuvering her way over to him.

"He actually came!" Lakilester added, whatever that meant. Whether or not he deemed Mario a selfish plumber who only catered to the exact needs of himself was unbeknownst to Mario, but nonetheless, it mattered not. The point was that he was there...is a very tangible form, meeting with them after all those years of painful separation. And for a few of them, it seemed almost awkward talking with him, as though he were some new and unknown stranger.

"Oh Mario, how've you been?!" Bow asked, floating up right into his face as though she were trying to challenge him. But simply, she just had that affinity for obnoxiously invading someone's personal space, "It's been so long...,"

"I know!" Mario laughed, who led them back to the bench in which they were originally seated. They all managed to find a seat, excluding the princess and Luigi, who felt absolutely shunned and unwanted. Even yet, it looked as though Mario could care less about their well-being, but, more or less, engulfed himself in the pleasure of his friends, "I can't believe I'm seeing you all like this again...it's like a dream, or something,"

"Heh, you know, ghosts don't dream, right?"

"Really?" Sushie asked, surprised, "So what is sleeping like...?"

"Nothing," Bow added, "Right after you fall asleep, you wake up. It's kind of weird, since it moves so fast, you know? But then again, I'd be too afraid to get a nightmare!" She shivered as though it were actually cold, and Peach just rolled her eyes. She loved the bizarre act this ghost was putting on, exaggerating so much over the horridness of a nightmare. And really, of all the topics of conversation...

"But anyway," Goombario, who apparently had sense, interrupted, "So what've you been up to lately?" He guided his question in the direction of Mario.

The plumber took no time at all to think about his answer, "Well, just doing what I do best. You know, saving Peach...fixing pipes, all that whatnot. But enough about me, what about you guys?"

Bow decided to answer first. Not that the other three were too shy to answer, but the ghost just had to butt in and steal the limelight as much as she could. Imagining letting someone else answer before her was just worse than a nightmare..., "Ah, just about the same with me. I'm still the head of my mansion, and Bootler's still annoying. And Tubba Blubba hasn't terrorized us since you took care of him. All thanks to you..."

Luigi wasn't sure if this was some sick joke, or what. Did every single person on the face of the earth have to complement and swarm over Mario's overrated awesomeness? Was this some law? Did people just have to do this? Would it be forbidden if they didn't? Luigi figured this was an absolute must in the book of 'how to be a real person'.

Suddenly the gates leading to the blimp opened, and people went stampeding in. Sadly enough, more than half of the ocean of people standing their remained motionless, simply waving good-bye to their departing friends. Indeed, only a handful of civilians were actually going on the ride, while some wealthy wanna-bes stood watch from behind the gates, staring in amazement as if the blimp's departure was that of a red carpet runway show, with hundreds of people standing watch, just waiting and waiting for the V.I.P.s of the night to step out of their limousine and into the bright flashes of a million cameras.

Everything now seemed so much more spacious. With the onlookers pushed out of the way, there appeared to be quite a lot of room to just kick back and relax. Not that there was any time for relaxing, though, since now it was time to take their first steps, Mario excluded, onto the Cheep Cheep Blimp.

In the waiting line, they could all see the massiveness of the blimp looming ahead of them. It was spectacularly colossal, as though it were some ancient and world-renown wonder that would make even the most mischievous look on in awe. Better yet, it was decked in the finest decor, and its halls were lined with beauty and luxury. And with endless entertainment, one could consider the blimp to be a scaled down version of a cruise ship...

"It's so big..." Bow remarked. She couldn't help but to force her gaze upon the floating balloon. Everyone, for that matter, was trying to mentally capacitate the fascination brought to all their faces.

Over a loudspeaker out of nowhere, a loud and commanding voice took control and attention from the eager passengers, "Please show the Cheep Cheep at the gate your ticket. Then board the blimp and wait to be taken to your designated room. Thank you for choosing the Cheep Cheep Blimp...have a nice day..."

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And so it almost begins...

I'm anxious to get you guys caught up on everything I've written. :P


	10. And So it Begins

Ahhhh...the blimp ride begins.

And, thankfully, I've been managing to write one or almost one chapter a day (unlike before). Unfortunately these writing streaks usually only last for a few days, but now I'm keeping up better with the posting.

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Chapter 9-And So It Begins...**

It took only a matter of fifteen minutes to get everyone situated properly into there correct room. Sure there were a few mishaps, caused mainly by the senseless people who didn't understand a few simple words of instruction.

Due to the fact that each room could hold a maximum of three people (two on the bunk bed and one on the oversized couch), they faced inexcusable problems with their seven-man party. But instead of taking up a third room, Goombario offered to simply sleep on the ground. And although he didn't want to, he understood fully that the blimp didn't exactly have a surplus of extra bedrooms.

In Mario's enclosure, room 4, he found himself settled with his brother and Peach. Painfully in a far-off distance, their friends had to take room 10. This not only meant for a long and not so lolling walk, but also meant that they'd have to travel through many rooms, including the 'cafeteria', as it was called.

"Look at them..." Peach watched carefully out the window at the horde of on-lookers outside. They stood positioned, watching intently, as though they were about to witness some historical phenomenon. She almost wanted to laugh at their obvious envy and desire to be pampered in such a luxurious place, "Why are they standing there like that?"

Luigi murmured, his attention now grabbed by Peach's almost mesmerized comment, "Hmm...maybe they've never seen a blimp before?" Peach wasn't sure if Luigi was just playing dumb, or if one person could really be that stupid. The blimp's existence marked an important and inevitable concept in the town of Rougeport, due to its massive frame and continual need to depart and arrive.

"Or...maybe their watching they're loved ones off? Or friends?" The princess wasn't entirely in the mood to make foolish and senseless assumptions, so she decided to state a clearly and possibly plausible explanation. And although Luigi seemed to not realize his stupidity, he also overlooked and completely ignored Peach's words.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

There was a loud thumping on the other side of the door. Whoever it was must have had some biceps of steel, because that knocking was practically enough to break the door down. Mario was almost afraid to answer it, wondering if some crazy body-builder stood angrily on the other side.

"Hey Mario!" No, not quite a body-builder. Actually it wasn't even a man. And yes, this was severely to Peach's dismay...it was Bow. Mario wasn't sure whether or not ghosts could get muscles, but the sound she'd produced was enough to make you think so, "Hey...why is your room so big?! Did they give you a bigger room? That's so cheap! I want a big room, too!"

"Umm...Bow?" Lakilester coughed. She turned at him, seemingly out of breathe from her wild chanting, "I'm pretty sure our rooms are the same size. Don't you think?" She wanted to deny it, but then again, she was never really that good with comparing things at different times. So she decided to allow him to be right...for once. Or else, perhaps, she'll unleash her full power of ghostly muscles upon him?

"Anyway," Peach interrupted, "Have you guys seen the blimp? What's on it?"

Sushie was the first to answer this time. Perhaps Bow was a bit too out of it to butt in as quickly as she normally would. Not that anyone was complaining, but it seemed highly remarkable to know that someone of than the ghost was speaking, "Well, there's a really nice store on the far right in the back. It's kinda hard to notice, but it's there. Bow and I wanna check it out. Typically, the others to don't wanna. They said it'd be too 'boring'..." Sushie rolled her eyes.

Lakilester just stared at her, which went unnoticed to her eyes. Instead, she was too busy exchanging some looks with Bow, to notice.

"And I saw a really neat looking buffet at the end of the blimp! Speaking of which...I'm getting pretty hungry," Goombario added, who was, unsurprisingly, starving from the inside and out. Typically he worried most about food, much like a snobby aristocrat would who had all their necessities catered to them on silver plates. But, they all knew Goombario wasn't snobby...and he certainly wasn't an aristocrat...

"Hmm..." Mario said, rubbing his stomach, as though he were in the perfect mood for a giant bowl of pasta with meatballs. And knowing him, that's exactly what he was thinking. Really, though, in his mind...what could beat food? He thought it to be the most satisfying contentment one could possibly wish for. And better yet, it came in all flavors and types, defining food as one of the most underrated substances recorded throughout the world. Whether he was right, no one knew...but he liked to think himself like so to influence himself mentally the wonders of food, "I think I could go for a nice meal right about now..."

"I agree..." Bow added, surprisingly hungry. Usually ghosts weren't the hungry type, so she explained to them in one of her rants and raves. But whether such a rule applied to her, no one really knew. It probably did, but didn't seem to say so in this particular situation. And by the way she was acting, she'd be ready to take a cannibalistic bite out of any one of them, right there.

"Well then..." Luigi said, "How about we go? Goombario, where did you say it was?" He glanced at the Goomba, who took a few moments to think before he made his reply.

But he never got that chance. Instead, his voice was cut off by the overpowering and sudden voice of the man over the intercom. His 'make me mad and I'll kill you' kind of voice silenced everyone, as though he were capable of knowing if they defied and ignored him, "We will depart shortly. If you do not have a room, please refer yourself to the back of the blimp, and ask for assistance. If you need any help, please ask any of the conductors. They will place themselves all around the blimp. You can't miss them. Thank you for riding the Cheep Cheep Blimp,"

And then they felt a movement. It was sudden and jerky, but once they realized they were off the ground, they felt so free. They felt so weightless. It was incredible, looking out the window, knowing you were slowly ascending into the cloudy heights above. And with that wonderful feeling of flying, they all took a relaxing moment to realize how lucky they truly were. It was right about now that they understood quite how envious those mesmerized watchers felt. And as they slowly drifted too high for the grounded eye to see, they were just happy that none of those watchers were them...

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Yay! And remember to review! Reviews=wanting to post a new chapter. So...the more reviews the better!


	11. Extravagance on a Blimp

This chapter, and the few that follow, will give you a chance to meet a few passengers, as well as understand the personalities of Mario and his friends better. The way people act, what they say, blah blah blah, it could be important. :P Oh yeah, and don't forget to review.

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Chapter 11-Extravagance on a Blimp**

Entering the buffet, they were all escorted to a nearby booth, that shaped itself so gigantically that it looked like a massive, cushiony doughnut. Mario couldn't have been happier. Not only were they in an all-you-can-eat buffet, but the comfort and seclusiveness of the booth made the atmosphere even better.

"So let me get this straight..." Bow said, once they were seated, "All of this stuff...the movie theatre...the massage room...we can just...use it? Like it's ours?"

"Well, yeah..." Lakilester said, "Otherwise they wouldn't have it on the blimp..." He flashed her the kind of look that would simply and surely downgrade you, just by looking at it. Her question was so stupid, that the expression on Lakilester's face just made her feel like a bumbling idiot. And to lighten the mood, she simply laughed nervously, as though she had just been told something of a great horridness that she couldn't quite grasp.

"That's so cool..." Goombario joined in, glancing around the buffet room. There weren't many people there. Just a pair of quiet-looking Bob-Ombs. And also, a Yoshi, who was eating a large cheeseburger, that could look appealing to even the most circumspect kind of person. But Goombario wasn't interested in the calorie-filled meat slab, and went back to analyzing the one eating it. He looked nervous and jumpy, as though he were uncomfortably trying to cope with the thought that he just murdered his wife.

A Toadette waitress suddenly approached them, a pen and pad in her hand, "Would you guys like anything to drink?" As they all took their turn mumbling various drinks, she jotted them down with immense speed, "Alright, is that all?"

"Yes," Mario nodded, "It is..."

The waitress disappeared from the table after inviting them to the buffet. They all gladly accepted her invitation, and got right to scavenging for the most pleasing delicacies lined up and down the tables. It was truly a sight to see...all that food...all that desert...they had just about everything there. Mario was beginning to wonder if he'd ever seen such a widely diverse selection of food. It just felt all too good. Like a dream...a dream that didn't involve psycho princesses and whirling vortexes of purple toxic.

As their party diverged in multiple directions, the red capped plumber took a plate, looking intently through the aisles of food. There was just so much...and it all looked so good. He wasn't sure if his body would be able to maintain all of those edibles that he ever-so-wanted to get his hands on. Or, more or less, his _stomach_ on...

"So Mario..." Sushie happened to be near him at the time. He looked at her for a second, before tearing his eyes away, resting them back on the food. It seemed almost inhumane to look at anything else other than the fantastical beauty of glorious greed that lie before him, "We haven't really gotten a chance to catch up...how've you been?" She started to spoon some 'shroom rice onto her plate.

"I've been great, actually. Peach hasn't been kidnapped lately, so I've been able to relax more, you know?"

Sushie nodded. But once she realized he was too mesmerized by the food to notice her, she added quickly, "Yeah, that's good..." Then all went silent. Well, everything besides all of the clatter and other chit-chat that was going around along-side of them.

"And what about you? Do you still live at Mount Lavalava with the Yoshis?"

"Yeah..." She answered, "It's a lot less stressful now. The Yoshis miss you, though. They still talk about you every now and then. And when they do, I, too, can't help but to wonder what your doing. I always said that you're probably saving the world again!"

They both laughed, even though it probably wasn't a joke. Mario hadn't just been the savior of the world once. Oh, no. Many times, actually. And on many different occasions, in many different places. It sure provided for an adventurous life...but then again, a very stressful life, at that..., "Aha, I wouldn't doubt it,"

Sushie let her laughter die off a bit. Right about now, she realized her plate was full, and, more or less, overflowing with rice, noodles, and some weird cube-shaped things that she was almost afraid to eat, "Hey Mario, you think you got enough food on you plate?" She pointed at him and laughed. Not only was his plate probably crushed under the weight of all his food, but he was now residing to the use of a second plate, which was, too, almost filled. Hadn't he ever heard about 'going up for seconds'? Apparently not...

Luigi and Peach were already back at the table. They figured Mario was still out hunting for the best of the best food, as he usually did. They learned it was best to just let him be, stuffing plate after plate full with whatever he pleased. Besides, who knew what would happen if you interrupted his eating habits? The first brave soul to find out would certainly be recognized for their bravery...

Peach looked down at her plate, realizing its contents matched that of a king's feast. But then again...she _was_ a queen. Yet still, she felt so spoiled..., "If only Daisy could've been here..." She sighed, looking around for the rest of their party. They all appeared to still be gathering their food. They must've been taking after Mario...

"I know..." Luigi sighed, "She has some stuff to settle in her kingdom, though. I just hope she can eventually make it up here..."

"Yeah..." Peach said quietly, "You know how many years you have been going out with her? Don't you think it's time to...you know...well, make it final...?" She hoped Luigi wouldn't play dumb and ask her what she meant. And to her pleasure, he didn't.

"Hmmm..." He thought for a moment, "You know how many years you and _my brother_ have been going out? Perhaps its _you_ who should make it final..." He joked, and they both laughed. It was then that Goombario and Lakilester returned back to the table. Thankfully, they hadn't been listening to 'the eating habits of Mario', and came back with a reasonable amount of food.

Goombario was the first to speak, "So how are we all doing?"

Lakilester just looked at him, "Really? You couldn't come up with anything better to say?" Goombario seemed to shrink in his seat, out of sheer sheepishness. He always recognized Lakilester to be the more serious and sarcastic one, and now he was just doing what he did best.

Luigi and Peach didn't even bother to respond. They could tell Goombario was going to have another go at asking a question, "Well then...Peach, have you been to see that play? 'The Mushroom Missions', or whatever it's called?"

"The Mushroom _Meetings_?" She corrected him. Again, he just nodded out of pure embarrassment. He could tell, judging by a Goomba's excellent peripheral vision, that Lakilester was just giving him another one of his stares, "No, actually I haven't. I heard it's good, though. Didn't it just start up in the Mushroom Kingdom last month?"

"Yeah, that's why I asked," Well, at least _Peach_ wasn't as super-serious as Lakilester was. More or less, they could actually have a conversation without sardonic comments and glares of 'did you really just say that'.

The rest of the group seemed to join back at the table in a stampede of bodies and plates. The plates, mainly, coming from Mario's excellent balancing skills. And typically, he wasn't able to go without trying one of every type of food, so it seemed. Oh, Mario...why do you embarrass them so...?

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The next chapter will come either tomorrow or Saturday (because of something that will take up nearly the entire day tomorrow). If I get home early enough, though, I may have time to post the next chapter tomorrow. Anyway, stay tuned, and review!


	12. Exploring

Read and review. :P Oh, and take note of things said or done by other passengers on the blimp...you never know when it could be useful!

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Chapter 12-Exploring**

After the meal, their party dispersed, seeking their own entertainment with only a few select others. Bow, Lakilester, and Goombario all resided in their bedroom for a little relaxing and talking. And with Bow in the room, you could bet any amount of money there'd be talking. Sushie disappeared to go meet some people and understand the blimp's complicated floor plan a little better. Peach, on the other hand, was intent on shopping. She hadn't really gotten any chances to go on her weekly shopping spree any time recently, so she deemed it necessary to place it's exact date to today. Lastly, Mario and Luigi decided to seek out Pennington, who most likely was eagerly awaiting a good time to sit down and talk.

"Ah, Luigi! And, err...Mario!" Pennington called to them. He was sitting in the blimp's lounge, just off of the basic cafeteria. Luigi wasn't sure whether to take the presence of his name before Mario's for granted, or just roll his eyes at Pennington's hard understanding that the famous one was named 'Mario'.

The penguin gestured to them to take a seat next to him, and they did so, willingly. It'd be great to catch up on everything over the past couple of years. And with Pennington still working as a wanna-be detective, they were sure as to hear of some of the penguin's daring cases and edge-of-your seat arrests. Of course, Pennington's participation in actually solving the crime was about slim to none...

"Pennington, how've you been?!" Mario asked.

"Aw well, still the same, I suppose," He answered, sitting down his handy magnifying glass on the table in front of him. Then, adjusting his classical detective's cap, he continued, "Still solving cases...you know how it is. I guess people just don't learn that there's a top-notch detective in town. Oh ho, I laugh every time I get word of a new case. As you can imagine, the whole of Poshley Heights practically worships me, and thrusts case after case in my direction!"

Mario wasn't sure when the punch-line was going to come in, if at all. And when Pennington decided to stop bragging about his (no offense) pitifulness as a detective, the plumber was sure that the penguin actually thought that highly of himself..., "Well, that's great to hear..."

"And what about you, Mario? Have you used my detective skills to solve any cases in the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Actually, I have," He's solved cases, not inherited any skills. If anything, he's learned to act _completely unlike_ Pennington when solving a crime. The penguin's methods of deduction could match that of an insolent kindergartner who was prone to poking their nose into everything, "Hmmm...let's see here..." He began to reminisce the many times in which he's solved a case. And he paid extra care to pick out just the best and most daring one, only to impress Pennington and degrade him indirectly even more, "Well, there was that time when the princess's birthday party was interrupted by a shooting. That was a crazy case, that. But we got the killer, alright. Toadiko, I think her name was. You know, we suspected her from the beginning...but she was clever...clever at hiding her acts of injustice..."

Mario could tell the penguin was clearly jealous. And he knew Pennington longed for a case such as that. Instead, he was busy deciding which kid robbed the candy store. Yet, to hide his envy for such a spectacular case, he simply attempted to disguise his facial expressions by turning away from Mario every now and then. And not only was Pennington a bad crime-solver, but he's an even _worse_ crime-hider. Anyone, of any intelligence, could detect exactly what Pennington was thinking, at all times.

Bow sat looking out the window, mesmerized by the entrancing beauty that lied outside the glass. Clouds everywhere...they looked like they were flying through a massive sea of white. And despite the fact that the clouds blocked any possible view she could have witnessed, just the feeling of being that such an altitude felt truly incredible.

"Having fun, Bow?" Goombario joked. He could clearly tell that she was absolutely fascinated with the airy wonders that lie outside the blimp, "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, we'd like you to help us decide just when to surprise Mario..."

She turned to them, "Surprise Mario? For what?"

"Have you forgotten _already_?" He asked her. She just stared at him, a stupefied expression written across her face, "You know...we're going to surprise him by reuniting with Watt, Bombette, Kooper, and Parakarry down at Poshley Heights...?"

"_What_?!" She nearly exploded, "I didn't know that! They're at Poshley Heights?!"

Lakilester frowned, "Ummm, Bow. We told you that yesterday, don't you remember...?" But it was clear that she didn't. So, instead of staring out the window, she took the next few minutes to fully comprehend what she'd just heard. Was it for real? She'd be able to visit with the rest of the partners? Or, perhaps, was this one of the jokes that they always had to play on her, tricking her into joyful anxiety, and then revealing that it was just a big jest.

"I can't believe it...that's awesome! Bombette's gonna be there?! She's the best!" Bow began to embrace herself, as though a sudden chill erupted throughout her body. Instead, she was just hugging herself out of sheer excitement and happiness. She ignored the possibility that this could be a joke, and went on spastically with excitement.

"Gee, thanks..." Lakilester joked. He'd always figured Bow and Bombette had some kind of deeper friendship than the rest of them. And besides, Bow didn't get that excited over seeing any one of _them_.

When Bow realized what she had said, she quickly added, "Oh, I'm sorry..." She began to stammer some incomprehensible noises, but silenced herself with the wave of Lakilester's hand. She could tell he wanted no more of her denials, and simply thought the whole thing as one big joke that he cared not about.

"Don't worry," He laughed, "I was just kidding. I always knew you two were really close..." He felt as though he had just given her permission to be friends with Bombette. It felt almost empowering, knowing that Bow would do anything not to hurt someone's feelings on purpose. He could practically force her to pay for their friendship, and she'd have no complaints or objections. And despite her unusual snottiness, the only anger and irritation she could bring to someone would be out of sheer accidentalness.

Peach entered one of the souvenir shops placed within the blimp. It wasn't entirely the kind of place to go on your shopping spree, but it would be nice to have a bunch of collectables to remind you of such a wonderful trip. And besides, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience...and with Peach overflowing with cash, she'd easily be able to spend, spend, spend all she wanted.

She was the only person in the store, and she was greeted kindly by the Toad store worker. Due to the complete lack of entertainment, he decided to use this opportunity to actually speak with someone, and perhaps, get to know the princess a little bit more. Not by exchanging private facts with each other, but by simply showing her the extent of the store and explaining the significance of all the items on the shelves. And he'd be glad to answer any questions she may have. Sure this wasn't exactly what you'd like to call exciting for him...and sure this wasn't like watching some Toad Bond movie, but when you're following the routine of a lonely store worker, a mouse running across the floor was about all the excitement you'd get...

"Hello, miss..." He said, not yet recognizing that she was the renown princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. He definitely wasn't from the kingdom, she assumed. Or...he was just too tired out of sheer boredom to realize that a popular figure such as she was standing in his store, "Can I help you locate anything in particular? Do you know what you want?"

Peach was not yet sure, and told him so. He simply nodded and took a gentle step backwards, allowing her for more time to search alone. But the wait was unbearable, and he couldn't help but to interject, "Would you like me to show you around...?"

"Oh..." Peach stuttered, "Yes...yes, please..." And with that, he began to, in great depth, detail every last aspect of every last item that was showcased on the heavily stocked shelves of the store. And with beautiful, glassy, and highly-expensive keepsakes, this was only the beginning of a long line of purchases for princess Peach...


	13. Exploring: Part 2

I think I'm going to slow the updates down just for the fact that I want to give you guys more time to read. Anyway...enjoy! And...I sense a murder sometime soon...

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Chapter 12-Exploring: Part 2**

Sushie was exploring the hallways of the maze-like blimp. At this point, she was just trying to determine where the essentials were...like her bedroom, and the bathroom. Perhaps once she became a more experienced architect of figuring out where she was going, maybe then she could take on looking for the cafeteria. And after that, a store.

Maybe she was overreacting...and maybe the blimp wasn't all that complicated. But from a first glance, it sure seemed like there was definitely an excess of hallways and rooms, of which she tried to ignore, due to the sheer fact that she wanted to confuse herself as little as possible.

A pair of Bob-Ombs came along side of her, disappearing down one of a long and seemingly-endless corridors. It sure seemed like they knew where they were going...or perhaps, they, too, would find themselves asking for directions and examining a jumbo sized map that just seemed to make everything more and more complicated.

"Excuse me..." She called to them, "Can you tell me where I might find the bathroom?" She hadn't used the word 'might' on purpose, but it sure did flow with the fact that wherever those Bob-Ombs would tell her to go could certainly wind up leading her into some musty old storage room.

"Ah..." The husband was the first to speak, "Go back down that hall," He pointed in the direction in which she was coming, "And make a left...it should be at the end of that hall..."

She thanked them as best as she could, and then left to seek out proof of the bathroom's existence. Along the way, she noticed a handful of conductors lined up and down the halls...probably five, or so. She assumed they were there to help tackle any brain boiling questions someone might have. And when it came to finding the bathroom, _of __course_ it was a brain boiling question...

Bow, Goombario, and Lakilester excused themselves from their room, and headed for the miniature movie theater. And, better yet, they didn't have any problems, either...no problems in depicting the correct series of hallways and rooms, that is...

The theater was nice. Sure it wasn't this hundred aisle extravaganza with a screen the size of the Statue of Mushroom, but it wasn't just your everyday living room, either. So the trio took their seat in about the fifth row, positioning themselves so they'd be sitting directly in the center of the room. They thought this provided for the most dramatic effect, as well as the best possible vision of the screen.

A Yoshi who was sitting in front of them suddenly turned around. He spoke quickly, "Did you guys notice my wife, Birda, anywhere around here? She said she was going back to our room to get some pills for a head-ache, but she's been gone for twenty minutes..."

"Hmmm..." Bow said, acting as though she were remotely interested. Instead, she was just classically dragging out a simple answer. A 'yes' or a 'no' would suffice...rather that some 'hmmms' and 'ahhhs', "Well, no...I don't think we have..."

The two boys nodded in agreement. The Yoshi remained facing them, however, wanting to speak again, "That's strange...she should've been back a while ago, you know?" He asked them like they were some of his greatest family friends. Either he was the most extraverted guy out there, or his greatest pastime was to strike up conversations with complete strangers. Or, perhaps...he was lonely? Then again, his wife _was_ on some Tylonal scavenger hunt.

"Maybe you should go check on her?" Goombario suggested. He wasn't exactly an Einstein, but it seemed pretty obvious that if your wife's missing, you shouldn't just sit around in some movie theater, stuffing your face with Milk Duds...

"Hmmm...I think I might..." He sat, perplexed. The expression on his face led one to believe that he was spending his time trying to solve a complex and intricate puzzle. Something told the trio that this Yoshi wasn't exactly the sensible type..., "If you'll excuse me..."

They weren't quite sure what sudden force decided to propel him up from his seat and out the theater so quickly. Sure they didn't think that he had needed their encouraging permission to go check on his wife, but by the way he acted, it seemed that Goombario's suggestion triggered something in his mind he hadn't thought of before. But ah well, his insanity wasn't the point. The point was that they made it to the theater and they just wanted to watch a nice, relaxing movie...

"Is it just me..." Pennington began, "Or does this whole thing seem to be a bit fishy...?" Despite the fact that Pennington, himself, was a penguin, nothing seemed very fish-like to the Mario brothers.

"What do you mean?" Luigi asked.

"Well just take a look around..." Pennington said, pointing to various points in the room. No, he wasn't pointing to a million dollar jewel that lie on the ground...and no, he wasn't pointing to the body of a dead woman that just happened to be on the floor. Instead, he was pointing to a Bob-Omb, a Koopa, and a Toad. And whether or not these three people played any significance at all completely escaped Mario and Luigi's mental grasp.

"Umm...your pointing to a few people. I don't get it," Luigi sure hoped he wasn't being dumb. But then again, he _was_ talking to a wanna-be detective who carried around a magnifying glass and went on babbling about his 'amazing' ability to solve a crime.

Pennington sighed, "Just look at them...don't they seem all...weird?" Somehow Luigi didn't think the term 'weird' was very fitting. Now if Pennington were referring to himself, then maybe Luigi would have a slightly different intake on the situation.

Mario butted in, "There's nothing weird, Pennington. And one of them isn't going to be a murderer either. I know you wish one of them would, but sorry..." He clearly knew Pennington would do anything for an actually intriguing mystery. The penguin would probably even commit a crime _himself_, just for some more crime-solving fun.

"I know..." The penguin sighed, clearly depressed. Too bad...no one's getting murdered today...a pity, really..., "But...don't they all just look so suspicious. I mean, look at the Toad. He looks like he's keeping a watchful eye out for something..."

Luigi just stared at the penguin. For once in his life, Luigi was genuinely afraid. Afraid, that is, about the sanity of Pennington. The last thing they needed was to be catering to a bumbling idiot who went around flinging accusations of murder. What was the world coming to, these days...?


	14. A Problem Arises

Some interesting and significant stuff...

So for that reason, please please_ please _review!

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Chapter 13-A Problem Arises**

Peach was done with her shopping spree. To be honest, she was a bit disappointed with the selected of souvenirs the shop displayed. But then again, most of them were just painted blimps with the words 'Cheep Cheep Blimp' written on the side.

But she still didn't come out empty handed. Oh, no. Not Peach. She still had a bag-full of glittering items, all of which she hand-picked herself with precise caution to ensure maximum satisfaction. Yes, the princess was a high-spender. But she wanted to make sure she was getting the best of the best with her buck.

Lost, frazzled, and completely worn out from all that professional shopping that just went on, she decided to take a non-approved seat in the cafeteria, across from a worn-out waitress who simply needed a moment for rest. Upon Peach's arrival, the Toadette worker greeted her with a kind smile, "You must be princess Peach..."

Peach nodded, smiling.

"Is there anything I can get you, princess? A glass of water? Some food?" Suddenly, it looked as if all of the spunk and life had been reborn within her body. But then again, it was probably Peach's notoriety that sparked an 'i'm going to work now' plug.

But the princess nodded gently, "No thanks...I just ate, actually. I think I just need some more time to relax...this blimp's absolutely beautiful, isn't it?"

The waitress just laughed, "Yes, indeed. As soon as I heard that they needed someone with catering skills, I signed up immediately. I may not be swimming in coins, if you know what I mean, but it's a really amazing job. I mean...it's not the kind of thing someone gets to do every day...serve food to wealthy guests on a blimp thousands of feet above the ground!"

She was probably right. And Peach, despite the fact that she could easily earn her self a rightful spot on the 'richest person' list, still felt jealous. Maybe she needed to get out more? Or, perhaps, she should take some more time off from being an ever-so-important monarch? Besides, her mother was perfectly capable of taking over the throne for a few weeks...

Within the control room of the blimp, one of the conductors came bursting in, calling for the engineer in a stream of panic and dismay. The look on his face seemed worrisome and extremely anxious. Now, whether someone just got murdered, or if he just had to ask to use the bathroom, no one knew...

"Excuse me!" He called loudly, rushing up to the engineer and nearly bumping into him, "We...umm...have a problem..."

The engineer rose his eyebrows. This sure didn't sound good. The blimp has had problems before, but it never involved one of the conductors hyperventilating out of sheer shock, "What's the problem?" He asked, impatience in his voice.

"Well, I was checking the storage room..." He said, then grew silent. Once he realized the engineer had clearly comprehended what he was telling him, he continued on, "And well...I noticed one of the fuel tanks...umm. Yeah, it looked damaged, slightly. And just by the looks of it, it didn't look like it was working. Who knows how fast we could be losing fuel?"

The engineer's eyes grew wide with horror. No. Certainly nothing like this had ever happened. Losing fuel? At a time like this? Tens of thousands of feet away from the nearest patch of Earth? And to think, the nearest fuel station wasn't for another six hours, "That's bad..." He said, "Very bad...and we need this figured out, pronto..."

"Yes, sir...but, is there anything we can do?"

The engineer bit his lip. He looked like he was trying to solve a mind-bending enigma that posed unsolvable. And until you checked the back of the book for the answer, the solution would remain mentally out of your grasp. But, the engineer was more intelligent than the eye might have originally met..., "Isn't that Mario fellow here on the train? I know he's a plumber. If this is a problem with one of the pipes, he might be able to help..."

"It's worth a shot..." The worried Toad conductor admitted. And after receiving the engineer's full permission to go and fetch Mario, he was off in a heartbeat. And now, the hunt for Mario was about to begin. And, possibly, the hunt for the passengers' safety...

And once again, the adventure, responsibility, and a great heroic success was placed on Mario's shoulders. As for Luigi? Well, he was the back-up plumber...who wouldn't need to be used...

The Toad conductor managed to find Mario with ease. That was, for the fact, that he was positioned in the lounge, adjacent to the control room. And rushing up to him in an awkward manner, the Toad begged for his complete attention. And like always, Luigi seemed completely and utterly shunned out from the conversation, pushed away to the side so the more important brother could steal any limelight. Even if the limelight was in the form of conversing with an overexcited blimp conductor.

"Excuse me...uh...Mario, sir...uh..." He began to stutter uncomprehendingly with nervousness. Luigi wondered whether something was seriously wrong, or if this conductor was just so overwhelmed by Mario's awesomeness to find the right words to say..., "Err..."

Mario just looked at him. He wasn't really sure if he should actually try taking this mumbo jumbo seriously. Maybe if he had a gibberish dictionary translator with him, but unfortunately, the great Super Mario found himself within one, "Hmmm? Is something the matter?"

"Well, ummm...please..." He said, "Come with me. There's a problem in the storage room. One of the pipes is malfunctioning and we're losing a lot of fuel. This could be dangerous, and we know your a plumber. Please...even if you can't do anything..." He trailed off, the look in his eyes matching that of a pleading dog's.

Immediately, Mario sprang up, fully understanding the sincere severity of the issue. Well, he didn't really spring anywhere, but, more or less, made a few mild gestures that suggested his readiness to take on the problem at hand.

And with that, the red-capped plumber walked alongside the conductor, disappearing out the lounge, and leaving his friend and brother to sit there without any words of departure. They felt completely shunned...not just from Mario, but from the entire world. Because whenever they were around the Mushroom Kingdom hero, there presence was like that of an ant on a sunny day picnic; not only did they take up space, but they interfered in Mario's eternal recognition.


	15. Super Mario Takes on the Task

Woo, another update! I'll also let you know that the mystery is not far off... =o

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Chapter 15-Super Mario Takes on the Task**

The Yoshi husband was just making his way back into the theater. Upon arrival, he rushed back to his seat to gather up the candy and miscellaneous items he'd had with him. And turning to Bow, Lakilester, and Goombario, as though they were lifelong friends, he said, "My wife's not feeling so well. She's resting now, you know...and I'm gonna go be with her. Tell me if I missed a good movie, okay?" With that, he disappeared out of the now-darkening theater.

"Huh, that's interesting," Bow said, just to keep some conversation rolling. But her half-to-herself comments weren't enough to lift Goombario and Lakilester from their silent coma. She gave them a look, quickly, as if waiting for a response. But when they dismissed her glance, eye-brows raised and ready for entertainment, they just ignored her. And even Bow wasn't stupid enough to realize the silentness and inactiveness of Goombario's and Lakilester's actions. After all, she was always a straight A student in school. The one you'd recognize as the class geek who thought it forbidden to receive anything less and that three-digit, binary code-like percentage on top of your paper, with a big sticker next to it saying something cheesy and kindergarden-like.

"Mario, could you take a look at that pipe? Right there?" He pointed to show Mario, who nodded and approached the pipe wearily, as if it were going to explode and release toxic gases into the air. But, more or less, he was running his own little test. It was the very test that he used to decide the severity of a pipe problem from a faraway distance. And now, by the time he reached the pipe, he could understand, clearly now, that this particular issue may provide for a little bit of bad news.

The conductor watched him with a discerning eye, as if ready to question his judgement about how he was approaching this task. But, he knew in the end, that whatever Mario was going to do or say would certainly be for the better. Consequently, he decided to remain silent and allow Mario to work, undistracted.

"Hmmm..." Mario mumbled to himself, "This isn't good...but, then again, it's not too bad, either," He continued to work and examine the pipe, moving around methodically as though he had been practicing in his sleep. He just looked so...professional. Who knew there were so many people in the Mushroom Kingdom with pipe problems?

"What's the problem?"

"Well...you see here..." Mario pointed to something the conductor could not distinguish. But considering he wasn't the plumbing guru, either, the Toad simply disregarded whatever Mario was showing him as something only a plumber would recognize, "Because of this, this pipe is malfunctioning, which is causing all of these fuel tanks to not work. Meaning, we're running on a pretty low supply of fuel..."

"Oh, dear..." The conductor said, shaking and holding his head in agony. He wasn't sure how Mario was able to keep his calm in a time like this, but then again, Mario was the type of person to travel to different galaxies, risk his life thousands of times, fight off a turtle four times the size of him, and still come out unscathed. A little pipe problem should have been like child's play compared to the rest of his life, "Is this fixable?"

"Well..." Mario sighed, "This isn't really a pipe problem. There's actually a problem with the tank, which is causing a problem with the pipe, which is causing everything to not work. I'd suggest we find somewhere to land as soon as possible. Perhaps a blimport?"

The conductor nodded, "Let me tell the engineer. It seems as though we have a bigger problem on our hands than what we expected. Oh dear..." And with that, he scurried out of the room, mumbling incomprehensible phrases of worry and dismay, as he seemed to do best.

Mario stayed back a little while, though, ensuring that his initial conclusion about the pipe's fault was indeed, correct. But he was Mario...and, for that reason, he wasn't wrong...

Pennington and Luigi sat, bored out of decorum. With Mario not around, life seemed to be such a dud. And besides, he was the major communicative link between Luigi and Pennington, who, strange as it may sound, hardly know each other. As a result, the two sat stupidly, making no effort to even start some sort of conversation. Basically, it was like one of those boring nursing home parties, where the only reason you're there is because you need to get some volunteer hours in for school.

Suddenly a Koopa turned around and looked at them. The look on his face as one of surprise and off-guard catching. He looked completely bewildered, yet completely anxious at the same time. Basically, it was one of those expressions that you could stand in front of a mirror practicing, but never quite understanding how one could distort their face in such a way.

"It's...you!" The Koopa almost shouted, pointing at Luigi.

The green-capped plumber was a bit awestruck. 'It's you'? What on Earth did that mean? And unless this had something to do with Luigi winning one of those giant one million dollar checks, he didn't want anything to do with this obscure Koopa in front of him.

"Mario, isn't it?"

Pennington butted in, "I thought that, too, you know...but it turns out that this is Luigi..." Ah, good old Pennington, always getting the Mario Bros mixed up. It was almost funny watching him rack his brain to try and remember which Bro was which. And at times, he could have sworn they were just messing with him, saying that Luigi was Mario and Mario was Luigi. But then again, Pennington was probably just too obtuse to remember that Mario was the famous one.

"Luigi?" The Koopa asked, "But...you look just like Mario..."

"Well, we _are_ brothers...and you are?"

But the Koopa didn't answer him. Well, at least, he didn't answer his question, "Huh, I could have sworn you were Mario. Ah well, is Mario on the blimp?"

Luigi eyed up the Koopa who sat before him. Why would he want to know about Mario's whereabouts? He wasn't a creepy stalker, was he? And Luigi didn't recognize him as one of Mario's college graduates from the University of Shroom, either..., "Ummm...who are you?"

"The names Red. I'm a part of the Koopa Bros, you know?" Luigi should have figured his name would have stereotypically matched the color of the Koopa's bandana and shell. In the world of mushrooms, talking turtles, and a 1000-year old demon's soul hidden behind a door, names like 'Red', 'Yellow', and 'Green' were just _begging_ to be used somewhere.

"The Koopa Bros..." Luigi half-whispered, "I-I think I remember Mario telling me about you guys. Weren't you some sort of a cult, or something?"

Red just stared at him stupidly, "A cult? More like a super-powerful, highly-destructive, too-cool-to-be-true gang of awesome Koopas! That's who we are, Luigi!"

"But you were bested by Mario, weren't you?"

Red grew red, embarrassed and clearly disgusted. Whenever he remembered Mario's physical supremacy, he couldn't help but to flinch in distaste, "I guess...but...we never got to fight him again. After we buffed ourselves up..."

Even Luigi could recognize some serious exaggerations here. But he figured that arguing or denying the Koopa Bros' 'awesomeness' wouldn't be worth the trouble. So he simply turned away from Red and went back to enjoying himself. Well, to whatever, extent, that is... 


	16. The Coming of the Night

Woo, this chapter is a little interesting. Let's just say it sets the atmosphere mighty fine...

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Chapter 16-The Coming of the Night**

Night approached fast. And even the whole interior of the blimp seemed to turn into a more ghosty and haunting atmosphere. The sky was endlessly dark with the evil blackness that lurked at the end of every single day. And now, enveloped in a blanket of darkness, everyone on the blimp felt inescapably doomed, as if the impending void of nothing would suck them in unexpectedly. But yes, tonight seemed special. It seemed as though, on a typical day, a night like this could be romantic, star-filled and glistening with the happiness of the moonlight. But tonight was different. Very different. It was the one night where everyone's blood ran cold with the very thought of their demise. The kind of situation that seemed only to occur in the movies, or in books. But tonight...it was happening. And with realization more obvious than ever, they were sure that this was no fairytale...

It started with the gloomy clouds that hung so treacherously in the sky. As if they were on a cruise liner in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle, the ever-problematic clouds only provided for difficult steering and an intense session of navigation.

Secondly, there was the news that the engineer had to break to everyone on the blimp. The very news that Mario had discovered earlier in the afternoon..., "_We'll have to take a detour stop to one of the blimports_" The engineer's voice rang through the loudspeaker, with each word penetrating the sanity of your very brain.

And lastly, fear. Of course nothing was, too much, physically scary. But everyone could just tell that this night was...abnormal. And the very fear of an unexpected tragedy couldn't help but to make its way into the souls of every victim on the blimp. Something was coming...and everyone knew it...

"_As a reminder to those of you who are traveling on the Cheep Cheep Blimp, dinner will be served for seven o'clock, in the cafeteria. The current time is six forty-five, so plan accordingly. Have a nice night..._"

By now, Mario and his friends had departed back to their respective rooms, agreeing that meeting a few minutes early in the cafeteria would suffice. That way, they oughtn't be late for dinner, and they'd be able to steal the biggest and best table to suit all of their needs. After all, there were eight of them, including Pennington...

Speaking of the penguin, he was taking a nice relaxing walk around the blimp. He shivered and continued on his path, which was taking him to no direct destination. Perhaps, he thought, maybe he didn't really care where his walking led him? He was on a blimp, after all, so even Pennington wasn't likely to get lost.

But still, the atmosphere was just so weird. And due to his phobia of ghost stories, Pennington figured it'd be best to depart back to the cafeteria, yearning for the safety of other the victims, who'd then be close at hand.

But even as he arrived in the cafeteria, the overwhelming awkwardness of the night easily got to him. And even with the 'protection' of civilization, the penguin remained feeling utterly disposable and at an ominous risk.

"What a night..." Pennington said to the Cheep Cheep chef, who stood proudly in the kitchen, examining his meal with the most discerning and precise eye of his virtuous self. The kitchen he was in stood among the outskirts of the cafeteria; it was a small and almost undefined room, having no door, and hardly having a doorway. And oddly enough, the chef was readily available for any discussions he might have with any of the passengers.

"Ah, indeed, a night for a delicious dinner. A splendid night, hmmm?"

Pennington just gave him a very odd look. The look of a man who'd just seen something so amazingly unbelievable that, with his held tilted slightly to one side, goggled stupidly at the chef in front of him, "It just feels so...strange, does it not?"

"Ah, on a night like this? Never!" The chef made a gesturing motion toward the window, as if trying to urge Pennington to take a much-needed gander out at the beautiful night sky. But with doom clouds swirling and the Big Dipper saying tonight was a no-go, the penguin found it hard to believe that any such beauty could have spawned outside the window, "It is cold, yes. But if you eat some of my soup, you'll warm right back up! I guarantee it!"

Pennington thanked him half-heartedly, and turned away, scouting for an unoccupied table. If this chef were so true to his word, then Pennington'd like to be sitting in the comfort of an extravagant chair as he ate his soup.

Peach sat with her face plastered against the window. The night sky looked like...well, _nothing_. Absolutely nothing. It was like the entrance to one of those annoyingly-long cut scenes in a video game, where the screen goes suddenly black for a whole second or two. And now...it was all true too. This was definitely _no_ video game...

"Peach, what are you looking at?" Mario asked her.

"Why is it like this? Why can't I see anything? I want to...see something...why...?" She rambled on in a slightly insane manner. Whatever sentence she was trying to string together seemed awkwardly interrupted with her nervous and trance-like pauses.

"Because it's dark," Luigi butted in, "Yeah, doesn't that make sense, princess? Now let's go...we need a large table to fit eight people, you know..." He sighed and stood up from the bed, gesturing to the closed door in front of them. Peach didn't budge. And Mario just stared at Luigi's slightly-trembling hand as he pointed, "...hmmm...?"

Peach finally turned, "Alright. I guess you're right..." She led the way to the door, opened it, and proceeded to lead the way out. Mario took up the rear, turning the bedroom lights off and closing the door behind him. It was dinner time...and Mario couldn't be happier...

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Review please. :P


	17. Dinner

Woo, chapter 16 here. Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter 16-Dinner**

Dinner began like rush hour. There were countless people moving about, waitresses were trying to get their priorities straight, and the chef was having a tough time in the kitchen, distracted by the pandemonium outside his half-opened enclosure.

But in a few minutes, Mario and his seven friends managed to join two tables together in order to properly seat all of them. Unfortunately, they had to boot Pennington off the island, leaving him wallowing in his self-pity as he was forced to sit with a fat Toad who seemed to have no personality skills, whatsoever. As long as this guy had his food, Pennington thought, he'd be happy..., "Can't we squeeze in another chair over there?" He mumbled to himself frustratedly, looking over at Mario and his gang. But then again, they were pinched for space as it was, so maybe Pennington oughtn't blame them and just enjoy the night. And besides, he was sitting close enough to them to still hear their conversations, or so he thought.

"Hey Pennington? Wanna sit over here?" Bow joked, "Come sit on my lap, I don't mind! Oh, wait, I don't have a lap...so I guess you're outta luck!" She just waved to him sweetly as he laughed the laugh of a not-so-funny joke. Turning away from her, he just sighed. Perhaps she was amusing at times, but often quite annoying, if he may so say himself. She was like a pesky little chihuahua that's main purpose was to nag and annoy.

The penguin sighed to himself, "People these days..."

The hefty Toad merely laughed. But this laugh was a much more jubilant, gleeful, and bellowing one. Murmuring a few words to himself about Pennington's sense and Bow's lack of it, he then called to the waitress, in a demanding and ever-so-hungry voice.

Over at Mario's table, the gang was having some good old fun. Bow was acting stupid, as usual, and the others were simply having a great time. Besides, they were on a blimp floating thousands of feet above the tiny specks on the ground...why not use such an atmosphere to have some fun? This was a vacation, after all. And better yet, the impending and merciless doom of the thick clouds seemed almost yesterday, as everyone ignored the thought, and made way for a much more enjoyable time.

"Hey guys...?" Sushie suddenly asked, "Isn't there like some Annual Ball going on down in Poshley Heights or something? How cool is that?!"

"Really?!" Bow jumped up, "That's awesome! Does anyone want to go with me? I'm a good dancer, you know..." But all of the males in the group simply sulked away aw best as they could, considering they were in the captivity of a chair. Going to a dance with Bow? Not in a million years.

"Heh heh...Bow..." Luigi chuckled as he said the name. The ghost just gave him an awkward glance as he tried to mentally comprehend what going to the Annual Ball with Bow would be like. Sheer pain, probably. And speaking of going to dances and whatnot, Luigi couldn't help but to yearn for Daisy's presence on the blimp. Did she really want to miss out on all this fun? Did she really want to miss out on this once-and-a-lifetime opportunity? Did she really want to miss out spending time with _him_...?

Swiftly the waitress brushed by their table, dumping a handful of menus on the red and white checked cloth, not even bothering to count them. She looked awfully busy and awfully stressed to take her merry old time in sorting out eight menus, so the group disregarded the waitress's uncaring manner by realizing how tired she must be from all this running around.

The group handed each other menus, passing them down until no more were needed. They placed the leftover two on the edge of the table for the exasperating waitress to pick up.

"Hmmm..." Mario mumbled to himself, "All so good, yes?"

"Mario?" Peach asked, "What should I get? What do I want...?"

The red-capped plumber just gave a look. It was the kind of look you'd give someone after they said something completely and utterly stupid. The very kind of facial expression that would make one want to crawl in a hole to hide themselves from their sheepishness.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry," She continued to complain. By now, the table was just laughing at Peach's completely out of character attitude. Who thought you'd ever here a princess not speaking like they were from the Shakespearian era, all stoic and proper and boring and unmoving. Thankfully, Peach was more of a wild child, for better or for worse.

"Clam chowder sounds good..." Lakilester observed, leaning over and also pointing to it on Bow's menu. She looked pleased. Whether she was fond of clam chowder or not, its existence on the menu made her grin with excitement, "But it looks like it's only an appetizer..."

"Should we get appetizers?" Sushie asked, "You know, like some nachos, or something. I haven't had nachos in a dog's age..." She looked up at the ceiling dreamily, as if mesmerized by the attractiveness of some buff man who walked in the room. But, more or less, she was simply daydreaming about her apparent 'nacho days'.

"Onion rings sounds good..." Peach ignored Peach's comment, "Oooh, we could get them with 'Shroom sauce. Have you ever had that? Onion rings with 'Shroom sauce?"

"That's like putting ketchup on pancakes..." Lakilester frowned, "And besides, onion rings are gross. Nachos sound better, so let's go with that..." After finalizing his order, he nodded a satisfied nod and folded up his menu, reaching over and placing the menu on the edge of the table with the others.

The waitress returned, "Some night, huh?" Somehow they just didn't expect that coming out of her mouth. Perhaps she seemed so frazzled to speak so properly and normally, as if she were well rested and ready to take on the rest of the night? Well, no one really knew, but they could just tell the the waitress's moods seemed erratic. Going from exasperation to complete tranquility was usually not one of those human traits. Most people usually resort to the setting of garbage cans on fire and tipping over people's cars as their way to expelling some of their frustration...at least in the real world, that is..., "Well, have you come up with your order?"

One by one, they all ordered their respective meals, and lastly not forgetting about the ever-so-craved nachos. And even Peach decided to order a few onion rings for herself, "With 'Shroom sauce on the side". Everyone just grimaced and shook their heads in dismay.

And as the night forged on, one by one the cafeteria's population lessened. Pennington disappeared quite early, giving Bow a shady eye as he made his way back to his room. The only one who seemed to stay for awhile was the fat Toad, who simply sat there, his massive frame crushing the poor wooden seat he was sitting on, eating away like a starved banshee. Geez, he even ate more than _Mario_...

No, Mario couldn't believe it either...


	18. The Eerie Cheep Cheep Blimp

I think this chapter marks the beginning of the excitement. From here on out the story will grow more and more intriguing with each chapter...so enjoy! And don't forget to review. ;)

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Chapter 17-The Eerie Cheep Cheep Blimp**

It was around eleven fifteen when Mario and his friends dispersed to their respective rooms. And it was just then when Mario had realized how energetic he was feeling. Not tired, not bored, but jumpy and ready to bounce off the walls. Like he just ate a bowl of sugar, or something.

"Mario, why don't you lay down?" Peach asked from beneath the comforts of the bottom bunk. With the covers pulled right up to her nose, she looked like beautiful butterfly ready to snap out of its cocoon and fly wonderfully out into the air. And, well, as for Luigi...he was typically booted to the couch, where he lay semi-comfortably, muttering to himself about his everlasting hardships.

"Meh, I'm not very tired..." Mario admitted, glancing awkwardly at a spot next to Peach's head, "I think I'll take a quick walk, you know? Maybe I'll get myself tired...?"

Peach nodded, "Alright, just be quiet when you come back. We might be sleeping," And with than, she turned comfortably over onto her stomach, resting peacefully and restoring her energy supply to take on tomorrow with the readiness of enough sleep. As for Luigi, he lay with his eyes open, looking into the darkness of the bedroom and reflecting upon the day's events. He wanted to say something to Peach, but knowing her, she was snoozing already. And if she wasn't, then she was definitely on the brink of it. So either way, it would end with her slapping him harshly and yelling in his face about how he shouldn't have woken her up. Blah blah blah...he was so used to getting pushed around by now, he figured just the look on Peach's angry face would make everything almost worth it.

Mario escorted himself out into the cafeteria once more. Whether or not he was looking for a night time snack (out of pure instinct, of course), or perhaps just seeking the home-sweet-home comfort of the roaring fire, Mario wasn't really sure. He just needed somewhere to go without Peach running behind him squealing something about a highly fashionable purse she saw. And besides, it being eleven fifteen, only the Toadette waitress and a popular looking Toad resided in the cafeteria.

"Mario, it's you!" The Toad called. It was definitely one of those 'you know me but I don't know you' kind of situations. As the Toad approached Mario, he added, "The guy that's _almost_ as cool as me, you know? But for an old guy like yourself, I have to give ya some credit..."

Mario almost wanted to sardonically thank him for his powerful, and yet, degrading word: _old_. Old?! Mario...old? He sure wouldn't consider himself a bingo fanatic who spent his days looking for his false teeth, but then again, he wasn't getting any younger.

"You're..." Mario began, trying to remember this guy's name. But his memory loss was getting him, and the specific name greatly escaped his mind. Maybe he really _was_ getting old...? "You're...umm...Zip...Zip something, right?"

"Yeah, you got it! Zip Toad's the name! The famous, world-renown actor! Yeah, it's me! It's the real me..." He smiled a laid-back kind of smile as he sipped his smoothie, rocking back on the chair and looking at Mario at the same time. And all of a sudden, the plumber felt a small tingle of jealous envy running throughout his body. Look at this guy. He was a super-infamous actor. He practically swam in cash. And better yet, he had his youth and proper state of mind to take on the rest of the world. If there was any left to conquer, that is. And because of all this, limelight-hungry Mario couldn't help but to envy Zip Toad's well-being. Well-being that was, perhaps, even greater than Mario's? That's not fair...

"I haven't seen you in forever! Heck, I never really _did_ get to see you! Just that email you sent to me with your picture in it...and now..." Mario was at a loss of words. The smile on Zip Toad's face almost seemed to be toying with Mario's sanity. The cool look on his face echoed and mocked the fact that Mario couldn't deal with not being the most popular person there. It was a horrible fact to admit, but he knew it...Zip Toad was one heck of a celebrity...one with looks, talent, money, fame, everything, "Heh heh...so...how've you been these years? Still making movies and all that...?"

_Clunkkk...!_

As if by some outside and non-tangible force, the blimp suddenly plunged downward, whipping through the air as it descended at an increasing rate. Mario tipped and fell over, as did Zip Toad. Other guests found themselves waking up with a painful lump on their head, while other's couldn't help but to wonder why they were on the ground. The sound of crashes and breaking glass reverberated through every last socket of the blimp, and by the time the massive, floating balloon managed to turn itself upright and back into a more normal position, everything was in a wreckage.

Mario stumbled and tried to find his proper placement on the ground. His hard fall completely knocked the wind out of him, and he couldn't help but to feel like a bumbling drunkard as he staggered over to an overturned table, "Ung...what was that..." He grasped his forehead in pain, "Do I have a red mark here?"

Zip Toad groaned and stretched, "Err...uhh, no. I don't think so. Does it hurt?"

"Yeah, I think I hit my head...and my stomach..." Mario picked his way over the garbage dump of a cafeteria and found a chair. He turned it upright and took a much needed seat, catering more comfortably to the pain in his head and stomach, "Geez...what was the engineer thinking...?"

Zip Toad just laughed..., "Man, they sure give one heck of a wakeup call around here!" Both of them exchanged some mild laughter as they examined the once put-together cafeteria, now in ruins at the very hand of some unexplainable disaster.

Suddenly the Toadette waitress reappeared in the room (returning from the kitchen). Her hair was tangled and the battered expression on her face made her look like some gangster fight survivor. But then again, she was just flipped forty-five degrees in an inhumanly manner, "You two, get to your rooms. It'll be safer there. There's been some problem with the pipes, I think. But if you'll excuse me, I better do anything I can..." And with that, she rushed out of the room, stumbling once or twice on a chair or table that lay thankfully intact.

Zip Toad and Mario just gave each other an awkward look. And without another word, they did just what the Toadette waitress asked them to do. This sure would be the last time Mario said he wasn't very tired!

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=o Now why would the blimp plunge like that? Is there any significance? The upcoming chapters will certainly answer those questions...


	19. A Call in the Night

Ooooh, this chapter is certainly interesting. :P

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Chapter 18-A Call in the Night**

Mario seemed to fall asleep without any delay or interference. Despite how worried and completely shocked he was over the entire dilemma with the malfunctioning pipes, he couldn't help but to stress himself to sleep. A very, very deep sleep. A very, very comfortable sleep. And more importantly, a sleep where there weren't any demon Peaches, and where he could finally relax in the solitude and comfort of a nice, squishy bed.

And better yet, day would be approaching in a few hours (it being two in the morning). That way, the doom clouds and impending blackness could all go away...at least for a couple of hours...

Yes...it could all just go away...

...

Mario's eyes shot open. He was sweating and nervous. He had heard something. Something that sounded like a scream. A scream so inhumane that it sounded more like a suffering animal than the call of a victim. But who screamed? And why hadn't Peach and Luigi heard it? Sure they were deep sleepers, but...it was just so loud. The kind of loud that you'd hear on the downward drop of a speedy roller coaster. Or was it, perhaps, another one of his dreams? It certainly wouldn't be the first time he was fooled by his own subconsciousness. But it seemed so real...and yet, he was beginning to question his own sanity as he tried to roll over and fall back asleep...

But yet the very sound of the scream echoed in his brain, giving him a major head-ache and a bad case of disorientation. Like he had just been poisoned, or something, he staggered out of his bed and yawned himself fully awake. He walked over to his door and made sure it was locked. He wasn't completely sure why he had done this, but if there was a screaming lunatic on the blimp, the last thing he'd need is for some idiot to come and try to get into his room.

Resting his head back on his pillow, he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. But he felt not even remotely tired. There was no feeling of exhaustion, and even the closing of his eyes was just utterly boring. He let them flit open. The first thing he saw was his brother snoozing soundly on the couch across the room. If only he could just feel that tired...

But even Mario couldn't go without sleep, and, almost subliminally, he dozed off without the realization that he was even tired. Thankfully enough, he didn't plan on waking up, for a long time, either. Plan on it, that is...

**2:21 AM**-All is quiet and everyone is sleeping.

**2:34 AM**-Luigi woke up for about four seconds before he plopped back down and fell into a relaxing sleep.

**2:47 AM**-Bow heard footsteps outside her door. They were the conductor's, right?

**2:56 AM**-The blimp makes a sharp and unexpected turn. But no one is awakened from the erratic movement.

**3:03 AM**-..._CRRRRRAAASSSHHH!!_

As if through some very real cause of deja vu, the blimp again descended wildly. Mario and Peach were flung against the wall, and Luigi was thrown onto the floor with a loud thud. The entire blimp and its passengers seemed to be in an uproar, with things breaking and people screaming. And worse yet, this fall was exponentially greater than the last.

Peach called, "Mariooooo!" Her head banged against the wall and she was forced painfully into a deep sleep. Something told her that this wasn't quite the sleep she was hoping for, however...

The sound of bangs and crashes were heard outside the door, and the very sound of the screams made Mario remember all too well what he had heard before. And as quickly as it had begun, the blimp landing smack onto something so seemingly invisible that Mario was beginning to wonder why and how their free fall was cut short. They were still in the sky, that was for sure...

Then what had they landed on? The only sensible thing that came to Mario's mind was that they fell right on top of a blimport. Perhaps the blimport the conductor mentioned they'd be stopping at earlier?

Mario considered this and nodded his head, which he realized felt very sore. The fall, coupled with the hard-as-a-rock smack, wasn't making him doubt the existence of his pain. If anything, he was surprised his head was still on and he didn't have any broken bones.

But so many questions still remained. What had caused the fall? And had they indeed landed on a blimport? And...what about the scream Mario remembered so well? Everything seemed like such a blur at the moment, and he was desperate to find out some answers. After all, he was the turtle beating, life risking, adventurous hero called Mario Mario.

"Ugh..." Luigi groaned, "What was that...?" But Mario didn't bother to respond. Particularly because it wasn't really a question that needed an explanation. It was pretty obvious the blimp made a nose-dive and crash landed on what seemed to be a blimport, "Hey...we're stuck on a giant cloud!" Luigi called as he looked out the window.

Indeed, they were on a blimport. A blimport was one of many massive clouds scattered among the skies that was armed with fuel and engines. There were also several buildings, including bathrooms, a small hotel, and others of the like. The cloud was isolated, though, but it served it's civilized purpose in case a blimp were to suffer such severe malfunctions that it couldn't fly anymore. Then, an emergency blimp would have to be called and they'd be rescued soon enough, living off of the resources of the blimport until they were saved. Mario could only wish they wouldn't have to go through such a situation.

"We must be on a blimport..." Mario said, then explaining to his brother what exactly a blimport was. Of course he was still utterly confused, but at least Luigi had the general understanding of what was going on. Something then came to Mario's mind. Why wasn't Peach speaking...? "Hey, Peach?"

Luigi heard Mario's almost nervous call for his girlfriend from on top of the bunk bed. Upon hearing his brother's concern, Luigi, too, was a bit curious as to why Peach remained so silent. It wasn't like her...even if she had just gotten the crap scared out of her..., "Peach, you there?"

Luigi waited for a response. None. He crept over to the her bed to see if she was okay. But it was so dark, he could hardly see. _Click_. And now the table lamp wasn't even working! What was going on here?! Did they...lose all power on the blimp?

"Oh...oh geez..." Luigi exclaimed as he continued to examine Peach's state of being, "I...I..." He was completely shocked out of all sanity, all control, and all understanding of his surroundings. Immediately he coughed an unpleasant cough and took a much needed seat on the bed. He held his head as if in pain, "No..."

"What?!" Mario called, completely curious, yet completely nervous at the same time. The tone of voice his brother used to speak in sounded so dark and depressing that even the great Super Mario wasn't sure he was ready to hear what news was coming his way. He almost wanted to shush his bumbling brother up and check for himself what on Earth was going on.

"Peach...she's...dead..."

"WHAT?!" Mario leapt down from the top bunk and landed with a thud, nearly matching the pain he received from rolling into the wall. Pushing his brother out of the way, he desperately felt for Peach's body. When he found her, he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her close to his face, "PEACH!"

Suddenly her head moved a little, "Ugh..." She groaned, still clearly alive. At this point, Mario was relaxed. Of course, he was a little mad at his brother for being so conclusively stupid. He felt almost as if Luigi scared him on purpose, just to make up for all the times Mario stole the spotlight and put his brother in shame. Or perhaps, Luigi was just making up for all those times as a kid when Mario would always stand around the corner of the hallway and scare the living daylights out of his brother when he came out of the bathroom. But either way, he felt as if Luigi couldn't have been so senseless as to assume Peach's death in replacement for a simple bump on the head.

"Oh...Peach..." Mario hugged her with delight. He figured he didn't deserve such an emotional beat down, and, as usual, he got what he deemed necessary. Peach was certainly okay (perhaps a little shaky and still unconscious), but she was okay.

And better yet, she didn't even look too pained. There was no blood, thankfully, and even her body seemed so perfectly laid out that it was almost unbelievable to think she was just in a blimp crash. Mario sighed a reassured sigh and smiled to himself, "Oh...Peach..."

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Peaaaachhh! Phew...at least she's okay...


	20. Power Outage

=P Here's my favorite chapter as of this point, so please enjoy!

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**Chapter 19-Power Outage**

A set of two Toad conductors looked into room 1 with astonishment. Shuddering, they closed the door gently and looked worriedly at each other. And with that, they picked their way, through darkness and all, to the front of the blimp, where the Toad engineer stood waiting for the news he did not plan to hear...

"M-Mario..." Luigi said, trying to see through the utter blankness of the room. Even after a few minutes, it seemed his eyes had adjusted poorly and his entire sense of coordination was lost. And worse yet, the seemingly blinding darkness was started to his give a much unneeded head-ache...unless that was from when he smacked his head off the nightstand a few minutes ago..."What's going on?"

"Power outage..." His brother answered, looking over at the now recovering Peach. She wasn't saying anything, and whether she was conscious or subliminally tranced was anyone's guess. But all that mattered was that she wasn't getting rushed to some non-existent doctor's office due to head trauma and severe hemorrhaging, "Looks like we're stuck here for awhile..."

Luigi suddenly grew nervous, "Do you really think so...? How long?"

"I don't know...but I'd like to find out..." Mario shrugged, "I'm a pro at this kind of stuff, anyway. I think they'd like my help, you know? It's not everyday you get a power outage on a blimp, that's for sure..."

Luigi certainly gave him the benefit of the doubt. Gee, getting on a high-class blimp was one thing, but an exciting and adventurous blackout on it was entirely another. Thankfully, they were alive it realize it, "That's true...but..."

The conductors' voices sudden boomed, due to the uncomfortable and eerie silence of the inactive blimp, "_Uhh...uhhmm. W-we seem to be having a...well, a bit of a problem. And, err...wow...umm, we'd greatly appreciate it everyone would just stay in their rooms...please...thank you..._"

The conductors' nervous voice only made Mario and Luigi feel the same way. He just sounded so...horrified, almost, as if he had just seen some rotting carcass in the middle of the woods, or something. And still, something about his tone of voice didn't reassure, but, more or less, assured that something was indeed, wrong.

"I don't care..." Mario said, "I'm going out there to find what's wrong..."

"But you heard the conductors. He said-,"

"Aw, don't worry about what he said. He sounded loopy, anyway. We might as well take this chance for me to examine the problem at hand..." With that, Mario took a cautious step toward the invisible door somewhere in front of him. And as Mario took a weary step into the dark and moonless hall, he felt a rush of nervousness envelop every part of his body.

But Mario didn't need to worry, did he? Besides, he was Mario. He should have been worrying more about his brother...who now stood vulnerable and defenseless in a pitch-black room with only the security of Peach's weakened and feeble hands to watch over him...

Either Bow had inherited a few daredevil tricks from Mario, or she was just fond of breaking a few rules. She, too, insisted on exploring the blimp. And sure she wasn't Mario - who had of so much fame and limelight that she was surprised he wasn't illuminating the entire blimp - but she was, trade-markedly, curious.

"I'll be back in a jiffie...I promise..." Now of course Bow couldn't promise anything, considering she was as curious as a newborn kitten during its first Christmas, but she liked to think so. And besides, she was a boo. She wasn't going to lie around in some room all night waiting for some useless conductors to figure out who turned off the light switch. She was going to explore...going to find out the truth herself.

Turning down one of the unlit halls (and bouncing into a million things, of course), she picked her way towards an open door that seemed to have a cold wind coming through it. And as she crossed through the doorway, she found herself looking out upon a shady, fluffy silhouette. She was outside.

And then one of the conductors came carrying a massive pipe that was emitting sparks faster than that of a firework show. She wasn't entirely sure if carrying this shock-filled hunk of metal onto the blimp was going to be safe, but she let the clueless Toad pass by her and continue on with whatever he was doing. And it was so dark, he didn't even see her...

Mario was feeling his way through the hallways, expecting the blimp to illuminate at any moment. But with each step he took...it didn't. It remained dark and black, impairing his vision and making everything a whole lot harder. And it seemed so strange...this darkness. Everything, all the halls, doorways, tables, chairs, everything, seemed so out of place and unexpected. When at first he thought he knew where he was going, now he was just trying to make his way to somewhere at least remotely recognizable. Well, one thing was for sure..._this_ was definitely going to be added to his 'fifty most bizarre situations' list. And if you even _could_ consider this wicked ghost story a situation, it was definitely one that Mario wouldn't like to relive...

Suddenly he heard something in front of him. The sound of footsteps...someone coming towards him at an extremely slow pace. Mario wasn't sure if this was quite what he wanted, almost fearing that this unknown guest in front of him was some mad scientist looking for blimps to crash and people to kill.

Ah, what was Mario thinking...? Someone obviously hadn't deliberately crashed the blimp...and, of course, there were no murderers on board. But yet Mario still felt that sense of uncertainty as he took a courageous breath to speak, "H-hello...?"

At first there was silence...but then came, "Mario, dear boy! Is that you?! I can't believe I bumped into you..."

Pennington.

Mario was completely relieved, "Oh, Pennington, that's you, isn't it? What are you doing? Exploring like me, I suppose?" He laughed a slightly nervous laugh. And although he was now utterly reassured, he still felt as if Pennington's existence in front of him could only be proven with the one thing he desired most: light.

"Actually, I was out exploring before they even made that little announcement about going back to your rooms. And now, well...I think I'm lost...you don't know where we are, by chance...?"

Mario grumbled, "I was hoping _you_ knew..." If only he had paid more attention to the layout of the blimp, rather than stuffing his face with Shroom Pie and other delicacies, he might've been able to derive their exact location with the amazing brain of his, "But, I'm sure the lights'll come on soon, you know?"

"Yeah, well...I'm sure they will...and I hope so, too..."

It felt a little awkward for Mario to be having this hearty conversation in the middle of (literally) nowhere, especially considering he couldn't even see his own hands. But he was desperate for company, and no matter if it was a penguin, a koopa, or a yoshi talking to him, he'd be satisfied...

Bow was taking some much needed fresh air outside the blimp. By now, she'd come up with an almost intuitive path around the blimp that she liked to follow to get some exercise. And no matter how dark it was, she seemed to know instinctively right where she was going. Besides, boos worked best when they were in the dark.

_Rumble...rumble...rumble..._

"What the..." Suddenly she felt herself getting a face full of air and illumination as she stumbled away, blinded by the sudden light, and uncoordinated by the gush of powerful wind. And, as quickly as she had banged her head when the blimp came crashing down, she now watched it, lighted and all, flying slowly away into the darkness of the night...

And as for Bow...she was stuck on this blimport...without a single person or soul who knew it...

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Heh heh, Bow...she's such a fun character to write.


	21. Quiet Awakening

Here's chapter 20. Enjoy. =)

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Chapter 20-Quiet Awakening**

Mario awoke to the quiet sound of the blimp's engine running, the only noise that protruded through the morning's quiet atmosphere. As he yawned an over exaggerated yawn and hopped out from the top bunk, Mario gazed out the window, spotting a sea of grey clouds that enveloped the bright orange blimp.

He also noticed that he was left alone. Luigi and Peach were already up? This early in the morning...? Then again, _he_ was up, too, so he shouldn't have been wondering. Still, though, his brother certainly wasn't an early bird. More of a 'wake me up five minutes before we have to leave' kind of guy. And Peach...normally she'd wrap herself in a warm cocoon and snooze until the day was bright and full of action. But even she resisted the temptation of the comfortable beds of which they slept on. How improbable...

Mario yawned again and started for the door. On the outside, everything was quiet. He didn't even hear the usual sound of someone rustling about in their room. Instead...silence. He half expected everyone to be staring in his face as he opened the door, as if they were celebrating his three month early surprise birthday.

But instead, the halls were left deserted and empty. Mario was on the verge of pinching himself just to ensure this wasn't another one of his weird dreams. But hey, as long as this wasn't any Tale of the Inn, he was happy...

So he decided to venture toward the cafeteria, where, if all else failed, he could get a good meal. As long as the chef hadn't disappeared from the blimp, he'd be satisfied...that and the engineer. He had too many bumps on his head by now, that just the gentle rolling around in bed brought him unconscious pain. And besides, the last thing he needed was an unattended blimp plunging toward the ever-nearing ground. Even the great Super Mario wouldn't be able to save himself then. Geez, he had a hard enough time trying to fly a remote controlled helicopter around last year's Christmas party without ramming it right into the decorated tree. He sighed and laughed at this reminiscence.

But many many miles away, there was someone who wasn't quite so happy...

Bow looked from outside the blimport's hotel window at the bleak and windy doom that whirled outside. Still, there was no one. No one was there to talk to her. No one was there to save her. Instead, she was stuck sleeping in one of the hotel's rooms, just to keep warm.

Outside, the wind and weather mixed to form an unstoppable monster. Not a physical, tangible, monster with sharp teeth and fangs. But, more or less, an emotional monster. It was mocking Bow's every breath, and each time she looked out at that barren wasteland, the echo of 'you will never escape' rang through her head, over and over.

But she had to do something. She couldn't depend on luck to get her out of this, considering no one probably even knew she was missing. And if they did, why on Earth would they immediately assume she was stuck at the blimport's hotel? Either Mario would really have to be the detective everyone ranted and raved about, or his guesswork would have to be off the charts. Somehow, this made Bow only feel more lonely, as she pushed herself away from the taunting window and left her room.

She didn't quite know how she was going to escape from this fifteen thousand foot misplacement, but she knew that standing around would get her nowhere. Besides, she was determined. And, in her mind, she was very much superior to those bumbling idiots who'd get lost and feel bad for themselves, lying around and whining about their misfortunes. So, unknowing of whether or not she would actually end up with some success, Bow made off into the gustiness of the morning, then disappearing through the wispy fog as she led herself towards a whole new adventure. She had always wanted to be like Mario, and now, she figured, she could.

"Hey bro!"

Mario jumped at the sound of his voice and turned around. Well, there was his brother. So apparently he _wasn't_ the only living person on the blimp. But it sure still did seem that way...with the exception of his brother, or course, "Hey, uh...where were you?"

"Well...the princess and I thought we could wait for a movie at the movie theater...but I guess they don't show movies this early..." Luigi sighed as if convalescing from a catastrophe. But, then again, he always _was_ the TV type of guy. If there was ever a movie on Kingdom Network or a good game on 'Shroom SPN, Luigi'd always be the guy to be vegetating on the couch with a bag of chips and a few cans of soda.

"Huh...well, too bad, I guess..." Mario wasn't entirely sure what to say. But when he remembered what he was doing in the cafeteria, he politely invited his brother to a nice breakfast. Luigi accepted and took a seat across from him, the very seat Mario had sat in the night before after recovering from the blimps untimely crash.

And, well...the cafeteria sure looked well put together. After the previous night, Mario wouldn't have been surprised if the whole place was in ruins, with tables overturned and the beloved picture frame of Chef Shimi smashed on the floor.

Before the Toadette waitress had time to appear at the bros' table, Sushie came air-swimming into the cafeteria. And the expression on her face wasn't one to put in the family Christmas card, either. She looked horrified, dumbstruck, and nervous, "Mariooo!" She called, "Th-there's a problem..."

Mario looked curiously at the Cheep Cheep, "Problem...?"

"Yes! We can't find Bow!"

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Dun dun dun! Confused about what happened to Bow? You'll know the exact details soon enough.


	22. Going on a Ghost Hunt

Finally I got this chapter posted. =D However, I've also noticed that you guys have gotten exceptionally close to catching up with what I've written so far. So I guess I'd better write a lot so you guys won't have to wait a while...

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Chapter 21-Going on a Ghost Hunt**

"Can you describe her physical appearance, please?"

"Whaddaya mean, 'physical appearance'?! _She's the only ghost on the blimp_!"

Sushie and one of the Toad conductor's were having a seemingly useless standoff in regards to the location of Bow's whereabouts. Angering her with every possible thing that came out of his mouth, the conductor had a hard time actually fully understanding the situation at hand. In Sushie's mind, however, the problem was crystal clear: Bow was missing...and nobody had a clue as to where she could have been.

"It's just not like her!" Sushie whined, exasperated, "She never hides like this! Why? Where? How? I don't get it! We're on a blimp!"

"Yeah, that's what I've been trying to say for the past twenty minutes..." The conductor moaned, pained by the Cheep Cheep's uncontrollable and highly crazed manner. Not only wasn't he able to understand any of the fast-paced words flying out of her mouth, but her incompetence and impatience was really starting to exhaust him. And if it wasn't for the almighty Mario backing up Sushie's story about a missing ghost, the conductor would have probably found himself convincing the fish to get some mental help.

"Ugh, we're getting nowhere..." Mario sighed, glancing back and forth between the quarreling duo with each statement they fired back at each other. If anything, this whole conversation was just a stupid screaming match that was more likely to cause trouble than to actually help. It was like one of those sitcoms on TV, where the husband and wife find themselves entangled in a web of arguments about who forgot to lock up the garage. Unfortunately, there wasn't any angelic laughter to drown out the worrisome matters at hand, "Here, Sushie...let me handle this, please..."

"Ugh..." She moaned, "Fine...but I'm outta here. Bow's missing, and I gotta find her..."

The conductor just rolled his eyes. If it wasn't for the fact that he was the more caring and thoughtful type, he would have self-pleasingly called out 'how can you search for someone when we're all on a blimp?'.

Lakilester and Goombario were already on their on hunt for Bow. There weren't quite sure what on Earth they were looking for, considering they were stuck in the confines of a flying fish, but doing nothing and sitting around sure wouldn't get them anywhere.

Luigi was out looking, too, but alone. And since he had a hard enough time navigating _himself_ around the maze-like blimp, the green-capped plumber found himself a little speculative of whether or not he would be of any help at all.

Peach, on the other hand, was unaware of the dire situation. Instead, she was revisiting the store she had gone to the day before. Typical of Peach to be completely oblivious to Bow's sudden disappearance. If the princess was worth anything other than her fifty billion dollar name, she could at least brag that she never failed to do something out of her cluelessness.

...but not as clueless as Bow, of course...

The ghost was flying herself around the clouds. Thanks to her ever-so-useful flying capabilities, she could easily glide through the skies and over clouds. Unfortunately, it would probably take her several weeks to fly all the way to Poshley Heights. And considering she wasn't quite the kind of girl to have boundless amounts of stamina, her already slow speeds were just growing shorter and shorter with every second that past.

Ten minutes...thirty minutes...an hour. All of the time Bow was using up seemed to stockpile ever so quickly as she groaned herself forward. But the more she expended her energy, the more and more confident she grew that some type of civilization was on the horizon. Sure it was wishful thinking, but it gave her the brain power to continue forward.

And then...no...it couldn't have been. A person? Bow saw someone other than herself? Whoever this being was was several hundred yards away on a distant cloud. Fighting through the roaring winds, the ghost eagerly tried to catch the ever-disappearing person that seemed to move so quickly away.

She tried yelling, but her voice was only muffled due to the gale force that was holding her back. And if that wasn't enough, her now exhausted and weakened state led her into a situation in which her once powerful and ever-present voice grew somewhat quiet and non-distinct.

Following this miracle person who oddly seemed like they knew where they were going, Bow staggered ahead, the thought of civilization giving her the strength to forge on. But wherever this person was going was anyone's guess. And although she didn't quite know it, Bow was about to engage herself in a wild adventure of death-defying proportions...

Yes...like Mario, after all...

"She couldn't have just disappeared," Lakilested said, trying to put some sense into Goombario's stupidly nervous mind. The things this Goomba was saying...the things he was trying to suppose...geez, Lakilester wasn't sure whether he, himself, was missing the big picture, or if Goombario was just infinitely overreacting, "I mean...c'mon...we're on a blimp. Has anyone checked the bathrooms?"

"Er...no...at least I don't think so..."

"What if she just turned invisible...? Maybe she wanted to get away from the real world for a couple of minutes. Who knows? But I can say almost certainly that Bow is on this blimp..."

Goombario sighed and continued his highly unsuccessful search, "You sound so sure...but do you know...? What if she's...gone...?" The Goomba asked. Now Lakilester was sure he had gone completely mad. 'Gone'? Gone where? Gone shopping, perhaps? Or maybe she magically disappeared off the blimp while no one was looking? Ugh...Goombario could be so dumb, at times.

"Don't worry..." Lakilester said, trying his best to sound reassuring, even though he knew he was just teasing with Goombario's out-of-this-world mind "There's really nothing to worry about," But did Lakilester really know? Did he know for a fact that Bow was safe and sound inside the blimp somewhere? He sure thought he did, at least...

But others weren't quite so certain. Sushie, for instance, was still running around like a madwoman, breaking into normally 'staff only' places in hopes she'd find Bow breaking the blimp's territorial rules. And there was also Goombario, who couldn't help but to mumble nervously to himself regarding the ghosts sudden disappearance. And, of course, there was Bow, herself, who'd probably beat Lakilester to death if she found out he was trying to convince her friends that she was unharmed.

And to make matters worse...there came an earsplitting scream, in which it's owner placed the words so clearly that the entire blimp's population grew more and more wide-eyed with each syllable that was spoken... "_Zip Toad is dead_!"

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One night he was alive...and now he's dead. But how...why...? And by who...? Stay tuned for the (twice as long) upcoming Chapter 22. It will give you a chance to see all of the blimp's passengers/staff and learn a little bit about each of them (a good chapter to pay close attention to). Anyways, my goal is to update tomorrow!


	23. Lining Up the Suspects

Woo, this was a bit of a long chapter (about three times the length of the normal ones). This is also the first chapter where you really get to look at every single passenger, names and all, and a little bit of information about them. Also, I will be regularly updating this fan fiction every 2-5 days, depending on how fast I can finish a particular chapter.

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Chapter 22-Lining Up the Suspects**

"What?! Zip Toad is dead?!" Chorused everyone on the blimp. And just like that, everyone began to scurry about in no particular direction, holding their heads as if they had just whacked themselves off a metal pole. But...it was just too unbelievable. Zip Toad, the famous movie star, attractor of all the ladies...dead? Was this some sick joke? Just about everyone was waiting for some kind of punchline. Whether it was 'haha, I got you', or 'I can't believe you fell for that', no one really cared. As long as the answer to this catastrophe lied within the hands of a prankster, everyone would immediately grow reassured.

But the punchline that was ever so craved never came, and, instead, a mob of surprised and unbelieving passengers stationed themselves outside of room 1. Conductors that were trying to get to the front of the group were immediately forced into the crowded halls, as spectators fought to see if this horrible tale was true.

And indeed it was. Lying on the ground in a gory pool of blood was world renown Zip Toad, motionless and, without a doubt, dead. The sight was absolutely horrible, and most of the women turned away in disgust once they found out for themselves that this was no practical joke.

Mario was first to suspect some kind of subconscious foul play. Even though he was clearly awake, he couldn't help but to think this whole thing was another one of his dreams. And besides, this sure wouldn't have been the first time he was easily stumped by one of his nightmares.

As for everyone else, they stood horrified. Even some of Mario's past villains were undoubtably shaken up by the tragic scene that lied just a few feet in front of them. The thought of actual death was, to everyone on the blimp, unthinkable. There were no resetting the console of life, there were no more 1-UPs, and Mario accidentally walking into a Koopa was child's play compared to what had happened to Zip Toad.

But there was one person who didn't seem very phased at all. Actually, he seemed completely comfortable with the situation, as if he had grown up around death his whole life. And when Mario saw who this person was, he shook his head, unsurprised...

"We have a mystery!" The penguin with the magnifying glass proclaimed. He sounded more like a stand-up comedian than someone who had actually cared about the lifeless body in front of him. And as he moved around the room, carefully picking his way over the dead body, Pennington sighed a deep heave and took a wide panorama of the suspects who stared wide-eyed in front of him. This was a moment he surely wouldn't forget...

"Who is this guy?" A female ShyGuy asked to no one in particular.

"...is he a detective...?"

"Sure looks like one...hence the magnifying glass..."

"_Heh heh heh heh heh_...looks pretty stupid to me..."

But Pennington ignored the hardly comprehendible mumbles outside, and continued his investigation of the room. He picked up photographs, books, a glass of water, and basically anything else he could get his flippers on. Obviously he hadn't heard of fingerprints, before...

"Hmm..." Pennington said, rubbing his chin and inspecting something with his overused magnifying glass. He looked as if he were intently piecing together some clues he had gathered over the past five minutes. But Mario...well, he knew the truth. Pennington wasn't piecing anything together. He was probably too busy wondering where he had left his latest typical detective's item to actually conclude anything about this death, "It looks like we have a _murder_ mystery..."

"Murder...?"

"Of course!" The penguin declared, "You don't think Zip Toad stabbed himself on his own, do you?"

The female ShyGuy just lowered her head sheepishly. As strange and as much as she hated to admit it, the penguin was probably right. And, consequently, Pennington just grinned stupidly over his most recent detective victory. But then the girl thought of something she hadn't before..., "How do you know it was a stabbing?"

Pennington blinked, "Err, well..." He glanced down at the hunched-over body, which, even if stab wounds were present, were easily shielded by the position in which Zip Toad was lying, "Heh, it's...uhh, pretty obvious. I mean, it couldn't have been a gun...we'd have heard the bullets!"

"A silencer?"

"No,"

The female ShyGuy just frowned. This time, it was a Bob-Omb's turn to butt in. After all, the eager crowd wasn't about to let the know-it-all penguin off the hook, especially because he suspiciously 'knew' the method of murder. But whether this was a slip of the tongue or just his over-powering ego getting to him was anyone's guess, "He could have been hit with something. Like a pipe?"

"Heh, umm..." Pennington nervously laughed, looking at the Bob-Omb with almost pleading and desperate eyes, wishing so greatly that he wasn't getting so embarrassed in such a situation, "Well...uhh, if he got hit, then wouldn't there be a mushroom sized lump on his head?"

The Bob-Omb just rolled his eyes and sighed. It was clear now: this penguin was certainly trying to hide something. His guilt, perhaps? Or maybe just his own stupidity? Either way, the entire crowd was enticed to unmask his and figure out just what he was trying to conceal.

Pennington used his now gloved flipper to roll the dead body of Zip Toad over onto to back, in hopes to determine the unknown method of death. And as the body flopped over like a fish out of water, Pennington's eyes almost bulged out of his head as he saw the incredible truth. Zip Toad was, indeed, stabbed, "Wow..." He muttered, entranced by his 'guesswork', "He actually was stabbed..." His voice was so weak that even the closest of listeners could only make out a few muffled words.

"What's going on?" Red asked, curious by Pennington's raised eyebrows and surprised facial expressions. It looked as if the clueless penguin was just figuring out that Zip Toad was actually dead. And if it wasn't for the fact that Pennington managed to restrain his emotions by taking a few deep breathes and shaking his head back into reality, everyone would have thought the penguin was undoubtedly idiotic for not realizing the situation at hand...

"Aha!" Pennington said, triumphantly pointing as Zip Toad's dead body as if it were some glorious prize he had just received. It was almost typical for the penguin to excuse the actor's death as a chance to have some detective fun, "I was, of course, correct, when I said that Zip Toad was stabbed. You can clearly see a stab wound right here in his stomach," He tried pointing to a bloody mess on the toad's torso, but details about bodily fluids didn't attract many of the passengers (especially the women), so most of them stayed at a distance and weren't particularly interested in viewing what made up Zip Toad's not so woundless body, "Everyone. Please adjourn to the cafeteria so we can get things straightened out.

Bringing up the rear, Pennington guided the back of the immense group and watched intently to ensure that everyone got to where they were supposed to be. And...more importantly, to make sure that no guilty passengers were slipping away unnoticed.

"Alright..." Pennington announced as soon as they all crammed into the cafeteria. But things weren't going as coordinately as he had hoped, as passengers continually complained about how much they didn't want to be having the meeting at that very moment. But who could blame them? One of them was a cold blooded murderer who probably finds satisfaction in stabbing people to death. Well, at least Zip Toad, anyway..., "Everyone, quiet down! We need to have a quick meeting!"

Again, more groans and complaints resonated throughout the room. The group sounded more like a bunch of homework-ill kindergardeners than mature adults.

"Please, guys..." Pennington pleading, his voice losing command with each second that he spoke, "Just listen to me. This will only take a few minutes..." He paused for a second to catch his breath, and then continued on, "If you'd be so kind, would you please line up in order, in regards to which room you are staying in? So whoever's staying in room one, stand there..." He pointed to a seemingly random spot on the far left side of the cafeteria, "Then line up until everyone is in order..."

Everyone now spent the next several minutes dancing around the cafeteria, in an eager search to find the two digits adjacent to their room number. And for quite a while, the only question being flung around was 'what room are you staying in?'.

Even the waitresses, the chef, and the whole blimp staff robotically congregated in the cafeteria as if they knew they were supposed to be discussing someone's dead body at that very moment. But hey, the more people to interrogate the better. And now, every single person on the blimp, with the exception of the engineer, was stationed in the seemingly shrinking room as Pennington gave watch from behind one of the tables.

But then everyone was (supposedly) organized, and Pennington was prepared to conduct whatever kind of investigation he had so readily thought out, as if he had been waiting for this specific moment solely to do what he was about to do, "Alright, now that everyone's in order...Mario, come stand by me. You're a novice detective, maybe you can help. But anyway, all I want you to do is state your name and the reason why you're going to Poshley Heights. Okay, simple?"

Just about everyone nodded, giving the penguin the signal to go and waddle up to the person on the far left, "Ah, room 1. And you are...?"

The bulging guy in front of Pennington simply gave him a seemingly angry and disgusted death glare. It was the kind of glare someone like Peach would give after she realized that Mario failed to buy her a new purse. Or when Luigi accidentally kicked Daisy in the shin last year during Sarasaland's annual dance-off.

But aside from his 'I will kill you' expression, Pennington soon came to realize that his entire body was basically the sole meaning of such a phrase. His overall physique was macho sumo wrestler-esque, and his too large to be true biceps didn't look very family friendly. It was like he spent his life working out to one of those exercise tapes, always watching a flawless Master perform some awkward leg and arm maneuvers that are seemingly useless (well, not on this guy...) , "Hey, you stupid little penguin. I'm not in room 1, genius. _The dead guy's in room 1_!"

Pennington stared stupidly. Geez, he spoke to one stupid person and already he was making himself look like a complete idiot. He sighed, "Alright, fine. Room 2, I suppose,"

"Yeah," The body builder responded, "Anyway, uhh, the name's Rawk Hawk...number one fighter in the Glitz Pit! Woo!"

"Okay...and why are you going to Poshley Heights..."

Rawk Hawk just stared for a moment..., "So everyone there can _feel the Raaawwwk_!"

"...okay then...uhh, next person, I guess," He approached Rawk Hawk's opposite. Yes, perhaps Heff T, the man occupying room 3 was bulging, but it wasn't particularly with muscles. He couldn't have been any more out of shape if he tried..., "And you are?"

"Hi, uhh, I'm Heff T. And I came to Poshley Heights to try out the glorious and ever-cherished delicacies and the fancy restaurants!" Just saying that made the chubby Toad smile to himself with pure childish giddiness. He rolled his eyes back in a reverie and continued to think about stuffing his face with plate after plate of expensive but delicious food.

"Well, that's great. Now..." He approached the occupants of room 4, Peach and Luigi. Mario was still standing by his side being his sidekick, or whatever Pennington had called him. And just standing there, in the very near presence of such a legitimately crazy person, Mario began to feel his world renown reputation slowly diminish as over twenty pairs of eyes stared at the two of them as if they were idiots, "Oh, well, Peach...I know who you are...and why you're going...heck, I'm the one who invited you!"

After Pennington decided to point out the obvious, he suddenly turned his attention to the person next in line, who looked like they were going to lift right off the ground out of sheer hyperactivity. Whether he was a fan of Shroom Loops and Lucky Shrooms and anything that was overdosed with sugar was beyond Pennington's knowledge, but the understanding that this guy couldn't keep still was apparent to everyone.

But as Pennington got a closer look at the Koopa in front of him, his once animated expression turned very much upside down, and he was left frowning at the passenger with utter dismay, "Uhh, name and reason, please,"

The guy answered jumpily, "_Heh heh heh heh heh_...I'm Iggy Koopa,"

"And...?"

"And, uhh..." He paused for a second and shuttered, which, in correlation to his perpetual jumpiness, made him look like he was going to go haywire any second and start flipping around like an acrobat while still shaking like a maniac. But after that whole scene, his crazed smile still remained on his face, making it so very-possible to misinterpret his craziness for friendliness. And after all, this was a Koopaling they were talking about, a child of Bowser who, whether he liked it or not, took unending orders from the Koopa King as if he were just a normal minion, "I'm going to Poshley Height's...to...umm..." He glanced around awkwardly, trying to his to avoid eye contact from the penguin that was staring him down, "Uhh...well, Bowser said I could...umm, he said that I could take...a...break...from the castle and go on a vacation..."

Pennington just continued to stare for several moments, playing back the Koopaling's exact words in his head. And even Pennington could tell that something about what he had said just didn't seem right, "...Yeah, well, right," And he said no more. Taking a step to his right, he came face to face with a Yoshi and his Birdo wife.

"Name and reason,"

"Well, I'm Yosher, and this is my wife, Birda..." He pointed to the big-nosed creature aside of him, who merely smiled warmly and continued to let her husband do the speaking, "And we're going to Poshley Heights to dance in the Sanctum Ball..."

"I almost forgot about that..." Pennington muttered, hoping his forgetfulness wasn't recognized by any of the other passengers. The last thing he needed was a mob of angry suspects complaining about how much of an uncoordinated detective he was, "Well, that's nice..." He nodded at them and took another step to the right, unsurprisingly blurting out his traditional "name and reason,". It was clear for these passengers, that those three 'Pennington theme song' words weren't going to go without being recited a couple hundred more times. And by the end of this whirlwind of disaster and murder, half of the unfortunate suspects would practically be reciting those words in their sleep, regrettably remembering the painful experience they once went through on the Cheep Cheep Blimp.

But if anything, this was only the beginning...

Pennington turned toward the next suspect, who, much to the penguin's liking, was short of stature. Something just as simple as size difference immediately gave Pennington reassurance and allowed him to continue the investigation with a sense of control and power. It seemed, by everyone's nature, that size and height meant intimidation. And, when it came to the morale-lacking penguin, just being bigger than the guy in front of him allowed for a quick and easy confidence boost that he ever-so-needed.

The passenger spoke, "The name's Moustafa," The mouse said said, a name such as that clearly suiting the voice and body that spoke it. A mere foot or so high stood Moustafa, a shady character who ran a thieving operation all the way from Dry Dry Outpost. But, like any person who's met the bright side of Mario, he couldn't help but to become great friends with the red-capped plumber upon their encounter.

"Hmm, interesting..." Pennington noted, even though he wasn't quite sure what he was noting.

"And I'm heading to Pohsley Heights to visit my brother,"

Pennington just gave him an odd look and nodded. Then, without anything further said, he turned to the next passenger. In the meantime, his brain was flooded with thoughts and assumptions about the case. Too bad he couldn't even remember half of the suspects' names...

"You met me, I think..." Said the Koopa, passenger of Room 9, "I'm Red..."

"Oh, yes, I remember you..."

Red just glanced around for a second, unsure if he was supposed to say anything else. He wasn't entirely sure whether or not Pennington's sudden silence was supposed to mean that he was excused from any further questions. But he spoke anyway, "And I'm going to Poshley Heights for a vacation..."

Pennington nodded, satisfied, then took a few steps towards the occupants of Room 10. Although not entirely sure who they each were individually, he recognized them as Mario's good friends. Giving them a nod, he waited in expectancy for them to follow the simple line of instructions which he had set just minutes before.

"I'm Lakilester," The Lakitu spoke up, his voice monotone and his eyes and facial features completely unmoved. He floated their like a stone statue, hardly moving, and hardly talking. And when he did talk, it sounded more like a bored drone than a heart-filled remark, "And this is Goombario, and this is Sushie..."

Sushie chimed in, "We're going so we can spend a little vacation time with Mario, as you already know..." She giggled at the thought of 'vacation time with Mario'. Being around the guy who she missed so dearly over the past few years felt not only satisfying, but almost rejuvenating. Just the presence of the full-of-energy Mario gave her a determined feeling to go out and rescue some princess, or go and save the star rod from someone else.

"Hmm...yes, very well. And you are?" He pointed to the two Bob-Ombs who stood in front of him.

"My name is Goldbob," Said the male Bob-Omb, pointing to himself. He has a shiny, golden exterior and a mustache only half as good as Mario's to finish off his facial features. The look on his face was both dire and serious at the same time, as if he exhibited the joint feelings of annoyance and nervousness. But really...which of these passengers _weren't_ feeling that? "And this is my wife, Sylvia..."

The Bob-Omb he pointed to next smiled a little at the sound of her name, but remained silent. Her husband continued to talk, "And, well...we're going to Poshley Heights because we live there..."

"Oh...really?" Pennington asked, amused. He could have sworn he'd never seen these two walking around the streets of Poshley Heights, but, then again, his memory hadn't been the best to him over the past few years. Heck, these people probably walk by the sanctum everyday and still goes without noticing, "I can't say that I recognize you, but I believe you..." He paused for a moment, "So where are you coming back from?"

"We were visiting my wife's mother in Donut Plains...took our son along, too. He's sleeping now...I guess that's for the best, you understand...?"

"Oh, of course..." Pennington nodded. Well, at least he understood that an eight year old boy shouldn't be exposed to vicious stabbing and the maturity of murder. Maturity of murder? Geez, _none_ of them were prepared to come face to face with the maturity of murder. But still, a middle aged man and an eight year old boy sure did make a difference..., "Thank you. Next..." He pointed to the girl last in line, and resurrected his traditional, "name and reason," one last time.

"Uhh...hi, I'm Shyla...I, well...I was the one who actually found Zip Toad's body..."

"Oh really?" Pennington eyed her up from top to bottom with a strange little look he had all over his face. To prevent any discomfort she might have received from his 'are you crazy' look he was giving her, he quickly added, "Why would you go snooping around Zip Toad's room? To murder him, perhaps?"

The girl's mouth fell open. Had she truly just been accused of murder...in public?! Even if she hadn't committed the crime, simply being forced to answer such a demoralizing question would certainly give her some suspicious looks and behind-her-back gossip from the other passengers. And besides, what right did he have to accuse her of something like that, in such a demeaning tone of voice? "I...I wouldn't!" She gasped, "I was...well, I was simply going to ask him for his autograph...I mean, he's Zip Toad! What girl wouldn't ask him for his autograph?!" Her tone of voice sounded forced and out of control, like that of an 'over-actor' in some horror movie. And already, she noticed the skeptical looks just about every other person in the room was giving her. The seeming inevitability of having her reputation temporarily ruined became a reality all too fast...

"I see..." The penguin squinted at her and sighed, "And why are you going to Poshley Heights, may I ask...?"

"To see Zip Toad!" She nearly burst out into a combination of anger and tears, "I knew he was going to be going to Poshley Heights to start the filming of another movie, and, well, I had nothing better to do than to come down to be there for it!"

"I suppose..." Pennington nodded, saying nothing more after realizing this girl was flustered enough as it is. Normally he'd have pushed her a little farther into giving him information, but, truthfully, he was at a bit of a loss for words, himself. Besides, it couldn't hurt to wait a few hours to ask her in privacy. That way, she wouldn't be ready to explode with anger, and, more significantly, Pennington would at least know what to say. So with a second nod, he turned away from her and waddled back towards the red-capped plumber, who took one last panorama before the stressed out suspects were dismissed. One of them was a murderer. But even more creepily...was that they'd be stuck on a blimp with this murderer for two more days...

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Alright, now that you've seen the suspects, I'd like you to review with your initial opinions on each, or perhaps a first guess as to who the murderer is. I know that's a bit early to guess anything concrete, but I'd like to see how much your guesses have changed by the end of this fan fiction. Feel free to post anything suspicious, interesting, or just something that you might think is important in the case. Heck, you might bring up some points even _I_ didn't think of. Oh, and some of the hidden clues you found earlier may soon have much more significance, because now, well...the mystery begins.


	24. International Sky Highway

The next chapter...it's about time, too. :P

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Chapter 23-International Sky Highway**

Following the strange being for ten minutes or so eventually paid off. As Bow looked out upon the vast horizon, she could see the hint of life in the near proximity. Lights...was it? And the sound of...people? It was about time something had happened to her out of pure luck. And not only that, but the key to getting out of the desolate sky was looking upon her near future.

Currently she walked restlessly on a giant cloud that only seemed to grow with each flying step she took. But still, in her view remained some sort of living being, who, if Bow could say so herself, was walking at an abnormally fast pace.

And only a few minutes later, Bow flew herself through the cloudy paradise and into the source of the light and noise. Whoever she was following had seemingly disappeared, but at that point, she was just happy to see civilization.

In front of her stood a few various buildings, complemented by the presence of numerous airships, blimps, and planes. What on Earth was this place? An airport? A blimport? A combination of both, perhaps? And as she delved deeper into the center of this 'city', she came face to face with both reality and civilization. Whether or not this mystical place was on any of the tourists' maps was beyond Bow's knowledge, yet all that mattered was that she was back. Back to the people-filled life that she once knew. And, better yet, maybe soon she'd be back to the Mario-filled life that she so desperately longed for...? To think that after all these years of leading a plumber-less life she had to get stuck in the middle of some 'phere' during the one chance she got to reunite with all her friends. Some luck...

In front of her was a small booth with a Koopa selling tickets. Tickets to what? Her way out of this place, maybe? A one-way flight to Pohsley Heights sure would be nice, but she doubted she'd get _that_ lucky. After all, she never was one to win any real cash on one of those cheap scratch off lottery tickets that seemingly never pay anything...

"Excuse me..." She called to the Koopa and walked over to the front of the booth, where she claimed her spot as first person in line, "Umm...well, what exactly is this place?"

"Hmm...?" The Koopa asked, "This place?"

"Yeah...ummm...I kind of got unsuspectedly lost in, umm...the sky. Well, it's a long story...but I have no idea where I am right now..."

The Koopa just laughed. On any other day she probably would have laughed with him. But on the very day when she got stranded in the clouds, where the only thing that kept her alive was determination, she wasn't exactly very willing to humor herself about her own hardships, "Oh ho, well...that sure is interesting. Umm...well, this place is called the International Sky Highway...actually, it's one of the many Sky Highways all over the nation..."

"So..." Bow began, "There's transportation here?"

"Of course!" He replied enthusiastically, "All kinds of aerial transportation. Just where are you heading, miss?"

"Pohsley Heights, please..." She watched him through the counter as he went over to check something on the other side of his little booth. Although she couldn't quite see him, she had a feeling he was searching for the easiest method to get her to her desired destination. And it was about time, too...

"Hmm...Poshley Heights..." He analyzed a sheet of paper in front of him as soon as he made his return, "Well, sorry, but there isn't anything going out to Poshley Heights for another two weeks..."

Two...two weeks?! Their vacation would be over much sooner than that! Her friends would have practically forgotten about her in two weeks time! Great. Just great. Her entire reason for going on this vacation was completely ruined, and, worse yet, magnified greatly in a horrific degree, "Please, can't anything go any sooner...? I mean...two weeks! That's way too long!"

"Well, you can stay in our hotel, if you please...or...wait..." He went back to analyzing that same sheet of paper again. Whatever was on it would hopefully be her saving grace..., "Well, it turns out that we have a blimp scheduled to land about an hour away from Pohsley Heights, if that's okay with you..."

"Oh, yes!" Bow said, ecstatically. If it weren't for the fact that this Koopa was a complete stranger, she probably would have flew over and hugged him right then and there. Out of her happiness, all she could do was grin an overexcited grin. Perhaps her vacation wouldn't be ruined, after all...

"Sounds good...it leaves in three hours...would you like a ticket...?"

Mario and Pennington sat face to face in the cafeteria, sipping drinks and discussing the case. A lot had been going through both of their minds since the completion of their short investigation. And it would only be a matter of time before the cycle of questioning started up again and they had to further interrogate the passengers. But this time, they'd strive for much more detailed information.

"Hmmm..." Pennington sat, thinking, "There's so many of them, I don't know where to start..." He looked up at Mario who appeared to be in deep thought, and then sighed. Something was bothering him. Strangely enough, one simple sentence was constantly flowing in and out of Pennington's mind, yet he lacked to courage to say it...

"Pennington..." Mario began, "You look...like you want to say something..." And with that, the penguin's eyes bulged in amazement. How the heck was Mario so keen as to picking up on Pennington's subtle clues about his desire to say something? Geez...he was so good at noticing things, that Pennington (unwillingly) had to admit that Mario sure did have the discerning eye of a detective.

"Hmmm...well, yes, actually I do have to say something," He rested his arm on the table and looked Mario directly in the eye, "I...well, I...it turns out that I have an exceedingly high suspicion as to who the murderer is..."

And now it was Mario's turn to nearly fall off his chair with surprise. Pennington had a conclusion already? He knew who the murderer was? It sure would be convenient if his assumption was correct...but, then again, this was coming from Pennington. The same penguin who often times spent twenty minutes a day searching for his misplaced magnifying glass. At least that wasn't as bad as the time he thought a murderer was sneaking into the Poshley Heights Sanctum. Unsurprisingly, it was just the maid.

"My suspicion falls on the person who I deem most suspicious...for obvious reasons..." The penguin held his breath out of sheer excitement, as if revealing the name of a murderer was somehow thrilling. Somehow, Mario figured the dead actor in room 1 wasn't feeling quite so enthusiastic over his murderer..., "And that very person is...Iggy Koopa!"

The plumber just stared at him for a few seconds, "...obvious reasons?"

"Why, of course!" Pennington declared, "I mean, isn't it obvious...?"

Mario just shook his head. Usually the part where Pennington had to start returning Mario's questions with questions of his own was never a good sign, "Do you have any proof? Whatsoever? I mean...I know you're a good detective and all...but, well...I don't think you exactly have the kind of suspicions you need to actually make a concrete guess..."

Pennington sighed, "Oh, Mario...don't be so foolish," Then he laughed, "I thought a junior detective like you would at least be able to see who the murderer of this simple case was!"


	25. Friendly Environments

Huh...well that took unexpectedly long. Yeah, I can't really say that the updates will take so painfully long. I was just very busy beating Paper Mario and doing some other things that when it came time to write, I was either tired or simply uninterested. But anyway, expect the next chapter by Friday (hopefully?).

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Chapter 24-Friendly Environments**

"Ugh..." Peach moaned to Luigi, "I am so bored!"

The two were currently in room 4, more commonly known as their bedroom. With the new understanding that they were trapped on board with a murderer, entertaining themselves through the blimp's array of recreation had not only lost its amusing luster but was just plain unappetizing. So, as a resort, they paired up in their hopefully safe bedroom and simply...waited.

"Yeah, me too..." Luigi sighed, but didn't exhibit Peach's whiny and almost immature complaining. At times, she sure could act like Daisy...and speaking of which, her name could only make Luigi wonder if the flower-living princess would be able to visit him at Poshley Heights, "Where's Goombario and them...?"

"Who knows?" Peach asked, "Probably off eating or watching a movie or something...but, well, I wanted to help Mario, you know?"

"Well why don't you?"

Peach sighed, "I'd only get in his way. Besides, Pennington's there to help him, and, well, I'm no detective..." Which was very much true, Luigi hated to admit. In reality, Peach was probably the most clueless person the green-capped plumber knew. That is, with the exception of Bow. If Sushie's unbelievable story was true in regards to the Boo's untimely disappearance (which, by now, it probably was), then Luigi would certainly have to say that Bow takes the top prize as the most unaware person out there.

"Well..." Luigi took a minute to think, "We can help them from in here...I mean, we already know a lot about the suspects, right...?"

Peach didn't entirely consider a person's name and their reason of presence to be a boat load of information, but for the sake of agreeing with Luigi and increasing both of their morale, she simply said, "Yeah..."

"Well, why don't we help Mario and Pennington out, then? We could try and solve the case from right in here, you know...?" Luigi smiled almost triumphantly as he finished the sentence. But the princess knew better than that. Why on Earth would Luigi want to waste his time writing down a couple of useless facts about each person? To make Peach happy? Maybe. Or perhaps to compete with his brother in respect to who could solve the mystery first? Well, it certainly wouldn't be the first time the Mario brothers were fighting to prove themselves better than one another. And it would be almost typical for them to start their own tournament right in the middle of Zip Toad's murder.

Peach sighed, "I guess so...should we right it down...?"

"Yeah," Luigi nodded and searched the drawers for some paper. Conveniently he found both a tablet and a pencil inside one of the nightstands. He turned back to Peach and retook his comfortable position on the couch, "Now let's figure this out..."

Like Peach and Luigi, Goombario, Lakilester, and Sushie all resided in their own bedroom, not discussing the case, but discussing something that was, to them, equally important.

"Sushie," Lakilester said calmly, "She's fine, at least I hope...I mean, where could Bow have run off to? I want to believe you...but, I just can't understand how she just disappeared out of thin air. Give her some time, really..." At this point, Sushie was exhibiting some high levels of worry. With each coming minute of the seemingly immobile day, the Cheep Cheep grew more and more nervous in regards to Bow's unknown whereabouts. And Lakilester was certainly beginning to tell that this 'tragedy', as Sushie put it, was really starting to eat at her. He had hoped that his gentle and soothing words might be enough to calm the fish's worried emotions and transform them into something much less stressful.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but..." She stopped and sighed.

Goombario couldn't help but to long for an escape route from their discussion. How many times were they going to go over the fact that there was a missing ghost somewhere not on board? It wasn't exactly rocket science to realize that there wasn't an annoying voice penetrating your brain. But Goombario still liked Bow, and although he was worried too, he hated to relive the exact same sad conversation over and over, "Well, guys, I'm sure Bow'll come back. For now, let's have some fun, hey?"

Sushie brightened a little. The thought of relaxing and just getting to enjoy herself was clearly enough to make her forget about her Boo friend and move on to more personally pleasing things, "Heh heh...good idea. If Bow was here we'd have gone shopping..."

"Oh gee, what fun..." Lakilester said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood with his smiles and laugher. And even Sushie chimed in, smiling and just rolling her eyes. Apparently Lakitus weren't very much interested in buying sequined purses and trendy clothes. But hey, his loss, Sushie thought.

"Hmmm, Lakilester..." Sushie laughed, "You know you'd love to buy yourself a purse, huh?" She laughed as he grimaced at such a thought, "Or buy one for Lakilulu...she'd sure love a new purse, don't you think?"

"Thanks but no thanks..." The Lakitu said, smiling, "I think she's good with what she has now..." A girl like Lakilulu was likely to own a stack of unused purses and shoes that were kept rotting away in a closet, somewhere. The kind of girl that typically demands the newest and best, only to treat it like trash when it's upgrade comes out on the clearance aisle at the nearest Shroom Navy, "And besides, Goombario and I need to catch up on all the video games we've missed now that we're not at home,"

"Oh, please...did you pack a Wii with you, or what?" Sushie joked.

"Well that's an idea..." Goombario thought to himself, "Huh, well..."

"Actually," Lakilester butted in, "We'll go to an arcade..."

"An arcade on a blimp...are you sure one actually exists?" The Cheep Cheep asked. Well, it was certainly a good question, and it only left Lakilester wallowing in his sheepishness as they both exchanged some mild laughter. And it was so good to see Sushie happy now...but he knew it wouldn't be over. Now he was forced keep his guard up and make sure he kept her entertained, or else she'd probably start going haywire and run around the blimp screaming her full head off looking for Bow. Yes, even the 'right in the mind' Sushie was capable of a big emotional breakdown like that...heh.

"Well, anyway..." Goombario suddenly said, "How about we head out. I think I've spent enough time in this tiny room, huh?"

"Yeah..." Sushie answered.

The Goomba spoke up again, "You know how cool it would be to see Mario in action? I mean, like, watch him solve the case and stuff...he sure is a hero..." And to a person like princess Peach, he was probably Superman. Literally. How often do you get to fly around outer space with your boyfriend with only the glistening sparkle of a Grand Star leading you to your cosmic destination? Or, how many times a day do you watch your significant other thrash the 1,000 year old plans of an ancient witch demon?

"True...I wonder how long it'll take him?" Lakilester asked. The other two just shrugged and looked as if they were seriously considering his question. But before the duo practically wracked their brains trying to foretell the future, he quickly added, "Something to consider sometime else...but anyway, let's get going. Goombario...wanna look for an arcade?"

"Sure thing," He said enthusiastically, hopping up from the bed and running over to Lakilester's side. The two said their goodbyes to Sushie, then quickly escaped through the door in hopes to tackle the dilemma that lie in front of them: navigate the corridors of the blimp and actually end up where they think they're going to end up.

As for Sushie, she needed to put in a quick word with the conductor. Although Lakilester's cheery attitude really sparked her spirits, the image of Bow in a lonely, dark place remained plastered in the back of her mind. And she knew that if she didn't do anything about it, a horrible image like that would be there to stay...

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The next several chapters will provide lots and lots of information on the suspects. So get your thinking caps on. :P


	26. Getting the Facts: Part 1

I don't really have much time to say anything right now...so enjoy! =P

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Chapter 26-Getting the Facts: Part 1**

At this moment, Mario was making his way to the front of the blimp, at the request of Pennington, who heartily implored him to ask the engineer to make an announcement. An announcement in regards to the whereabouts of the other passengers. It was about time to start investigating and interrogating, and the penguin deemed it more convenient if all the passengers were in their rooms when he wanted them to be...

Mario knocked on the door to the large control room, where the engineer stood. He wasn't entirely sure if this was common courtesy, but he figured he'd better make his presence known before he just barged into the engineer's room asking favors left and right. And besides, for all he knew, the engineer might have been too busy navigating the plane to find the time and patience to answer Mario's questions.

"Alright, we'll keep a look out for her. If no one sees her by the time we land, we'll put a call in about a missing passenger, alright?" The red capped plumber heard these mysterious words from the other side of the door as he entered the control room.

Inside, he spotted the engineer standing around the unending wall of controls, knobs, and levers, as well as Sushie, who was just happening to make her way out, "Hey Mario," She said, smiling.

"Oh, hello, Sushie," He nodded towards her as she left, and then turned his attention to the engineer, who looked surprisingly calm in such a dire situation. Between the murder of Zip Toad, as well as the stressful job of navigating the blimp, Mario was quite impressed with the engineer's ability to handle stress. Geez, even _Mario_ would've had a hard time walking the shoes of the engineer. He'd probably go bumbling about looking for the nearest 'Flying a Blimp: For Dummies' book in attempt to determine whether or not the green lever meant 'go'.

"Oh, hello there, Mario," The engineer said, turning quickly to the plumber, and then just as quickly turning back in order to keep his eyes on the sky. Huh, who knew that many people were acquainted with Mario just by simply seeing him? Even Mario was a bit surprised that the engineer knew who he was...

"Oh, hello..." Mario started.

"Do you need anything?"

Mario nodded. But when he realized the engineer wasn't watching him, he quickly said, "Well, I kind of do...I mean, I'm sure you've heard about the murder and all..."

"Of course...it's terrible isn't it?" The engineer said in a saddened tone.

"Yeah, and that's the reason I came to see you. It's just that, there's a detective on board, and he's asked me to ask you to make an announcement. I, well...I'm...a detective, too..." The plumber shuttered at the moment he spoke those personally painful words. It made him think of the many times Peach had ignored all modesty and annoyingly went around telling people what a great detective Mario was. First off, he always thought, he was not a detective...he was a plumber. Sure that might not be the kind of job you tell your mother-in-law about, but he sure liked being known as a guy who fixes pipes than some creepy guy who carries around a magnifying glass and accuses people. And secondly, once people find out he's a 'detective', he is, one way or another, always and unwillingly drawn into working the case 24/7. And even if those two reasons were entirely void and meaningless, the annoying publicity he received from solving, or even simply working on a case was enough to drive him crazy. But even after those reasons...he found himself admitting everything he hated to the very engineer who stood in front of him.

"An announcement?" The engineer asked, "Why, of course!" He quickly took some weird looking object from its holster upon the control panel, and then looked back at the plumber, "What do you want me to say?"

"How about...something along the lines of 'could everyone return to their rooms for a quick interrogation, and not to leave their rooms until they have been questioned'. Yeah, something like that..." Mario shrugged and figured he'd just let the engineer do the thinking.

"Hmm..." The Toad looked at the ground for a few moments before he looked up, "Alright...I got it..." He paused for a few seconds to ensure silence among the control room. And then he spoke into the weird looking object.

"_Attention, passengers. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, a detective on board would like you to return to your rooms for a quick interrogation. We ask you to remain in your rooms until you have been questioned. Thank you._"

The Toad engineer nodded at Mario and smiled, "Well, hopefully they'll listen to that..." He sighed as Mario thanked him. This was the very first time something like this had ever happened to him while he was performing his service of making it possible to fly passengers around in a fun filled blimp, and, more importantly, keep them alive while doing it. But now...after years of thinking himself as a hero of the (traveling) entertainment business, and after the same amount of years of protecting every single individual who had rode on one of his blimps, it now seemingly mattered very little to him with the occurrence of Zip Toad's shortened game. Even if the actor's life wasn't in the engineer's hands, he still felt guiltily responsible for his death. But looking up at the famous hero of the Mushroom Kingdom made him feel all the better. He smiled and said, "Well, Mario...good luck out there. And I'm sure a senior detective like you will solve the case!"

Mario pitied himself as he walked away.

As the two 'detectives' approached Room 2, Mario could just tell (once again) by the look on Pennington's eager face that he wanted to say something. As to the 'what', well...Mario was just about to find out...

"Pennington, you look like you want to say something again...what is it?"

The penguin looked up at him for a moment and just stared, as if internally deciding whether or not he should allow Mario to know what was on his mind, "Hmm...well...it just that, I want you to remember what I said before...about Iggy,"

Mario looked at the penguin and bit his lip. It was apparent now that something very strange was going on. What could possibly be the source of this accusing tension between a Koopaling and a penguin, though? It was like Pennington was holding a grudge against a person he didn't even know...well, either that or he managed to stumble upon some very concluding evidence involving Iggy's guilt.

"Ugh..." The plumber moaned, "What is up with you and that Koopa? I mean...we haven't even begun interrogating yet and you've already come up with the supposed murderer..." And indeed Mario found that to be particularly weird. Not solely because he doubted a case this thick could be solved in such a short time frame, but also because the solver of such a case was just about as crazy as the person he was accusing.

Pennington sighed, "Mario...of course you don't believe me...but believe me, I know what I'm talking about...this time," By now they were standing outside of Room 2, and actually had been for quite a while. The passenger on the other side of the door sure was getting an earful in regards to the case, though.

Pennington stared Mario in the eye for just a few seconds, and then proceeded to open the door. But Mario knew better than to shrug this 'glare' off as a mere possibility that someone teased Pennington a little too hard. This sure wasn't that kind of friendly glare, and, worse yet, it sure wasn't the kind of expression the penguin was prone to making. In actuality, it was really the first time Pennington had looked genuinely annoyed, and this only made Mario grow more and more weary of the erratic penguin's actions...

"Hey, you, penguin detective!" Rawk Hawk called out once the detective duo entered his room. He looked, even more than usual, disgusted, "What's this all about?! I'm not answering any stupid questions! I didn't kill the guy, ya hear? Now can I get outta here?"

"Uhhh...no," Pennington said blankly. Gee, this Rawk Hawk fellow sure wasn't the family-friendly type of guy. If anything, he was particularly morbid for caring not even a little about Zip Toad's murder. How disrespectful...the Star Spirits sure wouldn't be answering _his_ wishes any time soon.

"Anyway," Mario butted in, clearly annoyed by the amount of time they were wasting. Especially Rawk Hawk...if the guy wasn't so concerned about acting tough and flexing his muscles, then maybe something productive would get done once in a while..., "We have some questions for you...we'll, uhh...make this fast, seeing that you probably don't want us in here,"

"Heh, no kidding..." The champ said, miserably, "Now whaddaya need?"

Pennington glanced over at Mario for a second, as if wondering which of them was to start the interrogation. But by the look on both of their faces, it seemed they were more concerned about their safety from Rawk Hawk's fist than actually asking a question. But in due time, Pennington realized that the champ probably wouldn't just want to stand around, either, so he quickly asked, "Now you know that Zip Toad was murdered, correct? Well, did you know him personally?"

"Personally? Like a friend? Uhh...no," Rawk Hawk maneuvered slowly towards his bed and plopped down, practically shaking the entire blimp as his massive frame came in contact with the defenseless, now crushed, bed.

"Well, do you know of any reason why Zip Toad would be wanted dead in the first place?" The Penguin questioned.

"Maybe he really got on someone's nerves. Who knows? Or maybe...as I've been suspecting this whole time, he committed suicide. With all the whatnot going on with today's celebrities I wouldn't be surprised if they all starting killing themselves..."

Pennington raised his eyebrows in surprise. Well, it sure was the first time in his thirty plus year career he heard _that_ assumption. But in a sick, twisted way, Rawk Hawk was somewhat right. Between the celebrity gossip and their continually diminishing fan base it wasn't entirely unbelievable to think they'd resort to...self murder.

But still, the penguin didn't believe any of that applied to Zip Toad. Geez, this guy had just about every woman, young or old, infatuated with his 20x30 inch poster hanging in each of their bedrooms, positioned perfectly so his 'dreamy' eyes could stare directly into theirs as they slept.

"So wait..." Mario said, figuring something in his mind, "You really don't believe Zip Toad was murdered?"

"Nah," The champ replied casually, "However, if I _did_ think anyone in particular was suspicious, it'd definitely be that little ShyGirl. Honestly, I don't believe the baloney she was feeding you about being a fangirl of Zip Toad..."

Pennington raised his eyebrows once again, "You'd be surprised, actually. His acting has attracted nearly every woman that saw him..." And that was very true. For this fact, Pennington found it hard to believe that Shyla would lie about something like this. Indeed, it was likely she was telling the truth in regards to desperately seeking Zip Toad's autograph, but it did run through the penguin's mind that it would also be the perfect way to draw suspicion off of her, in case she was lying..., "Anyway, are there any other reasons you suspect her?"

"Well, she sure is the quiet type, you know?" Rawk Hawk reasoned, "It's always the quiet ones...either that or it's the old ones," And once again he never failed to amuse Pennington with his wild assumptions and theories. In a way, though, the penguin almost respected this offering of information, and if it wasn't for the fact that Rawk Hawk and his biceps were enough to practically power the blimp's movement, he'd consider asking him to join the detective league and try his hand at solving a few cases, "And besides, she's the one who found the body in the first place..."

"Yes, that is true..." Pennington nodded, "Hmm...well, we may and most likely _will_ be back with more questions...since, well, you're the first person we've interrogated. Mario, anything you'd like to add?"

The plumber nodded, "Rawk Hawk...you say you are coming to Poshley Heights...why?" The exact contents of the reason the champ had stated in the cafeteria were beyond his remembrance, so Mario figured it'd be best to revive the conversation. And now they'd at least have time to discuss it.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well...so everyone down there can _feel the Raaaaawk_!" He flexed his biceps as he emphasized 'Rawk', and laughed a booming laugh.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Well...you know I'm a man of many talents, uh huh?" Rawk Hawk reasoned. Mario wasn't quite sure what to say, so he just let the overgrown chicken continue to speak, "And, actually...I'm just going down for a vacation..."

Mario squinted at the champ as his questioning his last comment. A vacation? Does the owner of a glimmering championship belt take vacations? It just didn't seem like something a big guy like Rawk Hawk would do..., "Oh...well, yes, I suppose. Thank you for your time. And do not be surprised if we want to interrogate you again..."


	27. Getting the Facts: Part 2

Yeah, this chapter was supposed to be a bit longer, but since I won't be able to update or write on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, I'm leaving you with this. A little more was supposed to happen afterwards, but I don't have the time to write that now. However, I _might_ edit this chapter sometime next week with additions at the end. Anyways, thanks for reading. ;)

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Chapter 26-Getting the Facts: Part 2**

Outside of room 3 Mario and Pennington stood, ready to open the door to the next interrogation, and (hopefully), discover a major breakthrough within the case they might not have discovered before. And, in Pennington's mind, he could only hope this breakthrough would lead to pointing the one and only Iggy Koopa into guiltiness.

"Oh, hello!" Heff T said as the duo entered his room. He looked almost shocked at their presence, probably stupefied from all the food he'd been eating. Ah well, at least _one_ of the detectives could respect the overweight Toad's eating habits, "You must be the detectives. Yes, I _do_ recognize you two as the ones who interrogated me in the cafeteria..." He said that last sentence almost questioningly, as if the vast quantity of sustenance within him was slowly removing the memory from his brain.

"Yes..." Pennington said unenthusiastically, "And we'd like you to answer some questions, alright? Now, just picture yourself at about...say...three o'clock in the morning last night..."

Even Heff T didn't have to think hard about _that_ one. It was almost embarrassing for Mario to be stuck with a guy whose big, bad, interrogating question was something as obvious as 'what were you doing while you were sleeping'.

"Well..." The Toad said, "I was probably sleeping..." Not entirely sure if this was supposed to be some kind of trick question, he decided to put the subsequent pause to use and consider the question once again. Perhaps he just so happened to be awake for a minute, and that particular minute housed itself at three AM? But how would Pennington know that...?

"Yes, probably. Now for a real question. Ha-,"

"Wait, umm...actually...I'm not really good at thinking or remembering on an empty stomach. I mean, I had to wait for about twenty minutes for you guys to get here, so if I could maybe...get a quick snack, that would really hit the spot,"

Pennington just glared at him. He didn't have the time to listen about Heff T's incessant eating, and he sure as well wasn't going to succumb the chubby Toad's wishes and let him excuse himself to the dinner table, "No, now stop talking. Please. You can go eat soon enough. Right now there is a murderer on board, and it'd be just great if we could figure out who it was..."

The red-capped plumber, who stood silently aside of the now annoyed penguin, rose his eyebrows in surprise. He sure never heard Pennington talk like that before. His outburst, or whatever you'd want to call it, was so unlike him that Mario couldn't help but to be shocked by his sudden change in personality. And beyond that, he sure never heard the penguin talk so earnestly about the condition of the crime. If anything, he usually wasted his time talking about pointless things and getting to the bottom of just about nothing. But now, when Pennington actually _wanted_ to take the case somewhat seriously, Mario was undoubtedly surprised. And he didn't really like it.

"Now..." Pennington began, "We assume the murder took place in the middle of the night, so...aside from the blimp crash, were you awakened at all?"

Heff T had to think about it for a little while. Tilting his head to the side and rubbing his stomach in desperateness of food, he finally replied, "Well, not that I can remember. If I did I sure wasn't awake for long. So, my answer would be 'no',"

"Meaning that you did not commit the murder?"

The expression on Heff T's face suddenly grew both angry and shocked at the same time. Like just about every other passenger on the blimp, being accused of murder is not normally taken lightly. In some cases, (especially in Rawk Hawk's), Mario and Pennington wouldn't have been surprised if the now angry passenger would turn upon the detectives and start yelling in their faces about how innocent they were, "Huh?! I didn't commit any murder! I swear!"

"Yes..well...we'll see," Pennington eyed up the Toad in front of him and weakly smiled, "Heff T, do you have any idea why Zip Toad would be wanted dead?"

The overweight Toad bit his lip and thought, staring up at the ceiling as if he were receiving some righteous information from the block of cement that lined his walls, "Well, I don't think so. He's a celebrity, though. Perhaps someone wanted him dead because he was too famous?"

Mario suddenly gulped. Too famous? Could such a thing be true? And, worse yet, is that the kind of thing that gets you killed? For his sake, he sure hoped not...

"Interesting. Now, Heff T, did you talk to Zip Toad at all?" The penguin inquired. He figured there was a slight chance the famous Toad actor had said something to his chubby counterpart throughout the duration of the trip. And if that was true, he sure hoped Zip Toad had said something usefull...

Heff T frowned. Not at all out of disappointment, but for the sole purpose that he just couldn't remember. Besides, thinking back to a time like yesterday required too many brain cells, as he thought, "Well...I did see him quite a few times. He looked fine. I mean, he sure didn't look like a guy who knew he was going to die...but I do-wait! I _did _talk to him. Something about him filming another movie in Poshley Heights..."

"Did he tell you about it?"

"Well...he did say that there was a lot of controversy over it being filmed. Or, between him and the director. Or the actors. Or _someone_. But do you really think he'd get killed over a movie?"

Neither Mario or Pennington knew how to respond. They both figured something that morbid and grotesque could surely happen; after all, this was the twenty first century they were talking about. People did crazy things...especially if it involved money. Yes, even kill someone over a movie.

"That's something to think about," Mario spoke this time, leaving Pennnington in silence as he reflected upon the discussion at hand, "It's certainly possible a murder could take place over a movie. But who knows why? If we knew, then we'd probably be accusing someone right now..."

"Which therefore leads to my next question..." Pennington butted back in, almost fighting Mario for the verbal limelight. But when it came to solving a murder, the plumber was just about certain Pennington was not willing to let him do all the talking and the figuring. Besides, the penguin was the _true_ detective here, and in the line of his duty, he didn't want to let an 'amateur' detective like Mario get in the way, "Did you notice anything suspicious going on throughout yesterday? Or even today, perhaps?"

Again Heff T though, "Well, there was one thing that I remember seeing in the middle of the night. After the blimp crashed, I'm pretty sure. It was...the conductors. They were standing outside Zip Toad's room and staring in. After that they made the announcement for everyone to stay in their rooms. But something just seemed off. I mean, they all sounded so horrified. But I guess that's to be expected since we had just crash landed on a giant cloud. Still, though..."

The detective duo raised their eyebrows in surprise. Did the conductors know something before the passengers did? Well, if it was a dead body they had seen, then perhaps it was for the better that they didn't mention anything to the passengers. It wasn't exactly something you'd want to proclaim over the loudspeaker early in the morning as a way to greet everyone...

But still, if they had known of such a crime at as early as three AM, why hadn't they come to Pennington with the news? After all, he was a 'class five' detective, and proven over his many years of solving crimes, he felt as if he'd be very well suited for the situation at hand. Well, at least that's what the crazy penguin thought...

"How intriguing...anything else you'd like to share with us?"

"Well..." Heff T started, not entirely sure what to say, "Nothing really...but I do think there are some shady characters on board. After all, just about all of them were capable of committing the murder..."

Pennington looked at the Toad in confusion while processing exactly what he had just said. Shady characters? Well, the penguin could sure think of one. But still...based on what Heff T had said, it sure looked like he had taken some time to personally think over the case..., "Like who? And why do you think they're so capable of committing murder?"

Heff T just laughed, as if mocking Pennington's stupidity. By the way he had cackled, one would have assumed these 'shady characters' must've been quite easy to pick out amongst the other dozen passengers, "Well take Moustafa for instance. I clearly saw him...sneaking around a bit. And Rawk Hawk...his temper caused an outburst in the cafeteria yesterday afternoon. And the guy with the green hat and the lady with the crown were snooping around yesterday. I'd say these are some shady characters..."

Mario's eyes bulged. His brother a 'shady character'?! And worse yet, princess Peach? The girl who wore pink from head to toe and had spent five hours crying in her bedroom after her gerbil died? Please...only a crazy guy could think princess Peach was capable of murder. Heck, she probably didn't even know how to stab someone...


End file.
